President Joe Biden has nominated Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to succeed Army Gen. Mark A. Milley as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Credit: U.S. Airforce)
By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES
WASHINGTON DC – President Joe Biden has named Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to be his next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would succeed Army Gen. Mark A. Milley who holds the current high military position. Brown is an Air Force four-star general who serves as the 22nd chief of staff of the force. He is the first African American to be appointed as chief of staff and the first African American to lead any branch of the United States Armed Forces. Brown would now be the first Black Joint Chiefs chair in 30 years, since the late Colin Powell held the position in the George H.W. Bush administration. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. The CJCS serves as the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council (HSC), and the National Security Council (NSC).
With Brown’s confirmation, the top two Pentagon officials would be Black men for the first time in U.S. history. Lloyd Austin is the current U.S. Defense Secretary.
In a White House Rose Garden announcement, Biden called Brown “a proud, butt-kicking American airman” and an operational leader with intimate knowledge of how the U.S. joint force operates.
“General Brown is a warrior, descended from a proud line of warriors. His father, a U.S. Army Colonel, C.Q. Brown, served in Vietnam. His grandfather, U.S. Army Master Sergeant Robert E. Brown, Jr., led a segregated unit in World War Two. And while General Brown is a proud, butt-kicking American Airman, first and always he’s also been an operational leader of the joint force. He gained respect across every service from those who have seen him in action and have come to depend on his judgment. More than that, he gained the respect of our allies and partners around the world, who regard General Brown as a trusted partner and a top-notch strategist.”
-President Joe Biden
The President added that no matter how complicated the mission — “from helping build and lead the coalition now more than 80 nations strong to counter ISIS threats in the Middle East to positioning our Air Force for the future in Indo, in the Indo-Pacific — Gen. Brown has built a reputation across the force as an unflappable and highly effective leader, as someone who creates an environment of teamwork, trust and … executes with excellence.” Gen. Brown was commissioned in 1984 as a graduate of the ROTC program at Texas Tech University. Brown began his service as a pilot. He has served as both instructor and commandant at the Air Force Weapons School. Brown has commanded a fighter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, two fighter wings and U.S. Air Forces Central Command. Prior to serving as the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Brown was the commander of Pacific Air Forces, Air Component Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Gen. Brown is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.
