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 – Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. was confirmed by the Senate Wednesday as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ending a months long holdup by Sen. Tommy Tuberville. The Alabama Republican senator initiated the hold to protest the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing troops who must travel to obtain abortions or other reproductive care. Since February, Tuberville has held up some 300 promotions for senior military jobs. Brown succeeds Army Gen. Mark A. Milley as the military’s top officer. Brown is an Air Force four-star general who previously served 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 is now 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. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) filed cloture on Wednesday for three senior military officials’ nominations, resulting in voice votes on Brown, Gen. Eric Smith to serve as the next commandant of the Marine Corps and Gen. Randy George to serve as the chief of staff of the Army.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin praised the Senate confirmation of Brown while criticizing Tuberville.
“I want to congratulate General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., on his confirmation as our nation’s next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He will be a tremendous leader of our joint force and I look forward to working with him in his new capacity. I also want to thank General Milley, his wife Hollyanne and the entire Milley family for their selfless, decades-long service to this nation. I also want to thank Leader Schumer for filing cloture on three of our highly-qualified military nominees today. Senator Tuberville’s continued hold on hundreds of our nation’s military leaders endangers our national security and military readiness. It is well past time to confirm the over 300 other military nominees. The brave men and women of the U.S. military deserve to be led by highly-qualified general and flag officers at this critical moment for our national security.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (US DOD)
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.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. addresses students from Air War College and Air Command and Staff College at Air University, Aug. 27, 2020.
In a White House Rose Garden announcement earlier this year, 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
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. meets retired Air Force Brig. Gen Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, at the Naval War College in Rhode Island in April 2023. (US DOD)
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.
