Global Courant 2023-05-05 11:06:49
President Biden is expected to hand over Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Army General Mark Milley’s four-year term comes to an end.
If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Brown, who currently serves as Chief of Staff of the Air Force, would become the second black man to hold the position. Army General Colin Powell, who was appointed to the post by former President George HW Bush in 1989, was the first.
While Brown was long expected to become the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Biden also interviewed General David Berger, the 38th Commander of the Marine Corps, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Brown’s expected nomination was first reported by Politico on Thursday, according to the WSJ.
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Air Force General Charles Q. Brown Jr. is expected to become the Chairman of the 21st Joint Chiefs of Staff following the departure of General Mark Milley in September. (US Air Force)
While the presidency does not follow a strict rotation between departments, it was unlikely that another Army general would be nominated to succeed Milley. It also seemed unlikely that a sailor would be nominated for the position, as the current Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is Naval Admiral Christopher Grady.
As expected, the White House and defense officials have kept quiet about Brown’s potential nomination, releasing limited details in statements to the media.
“When President Biden makes a final decision, he will inform the selected individual and then make it public,” the White House said via the WSJ. “That hasn’t happened yet.”
If confirmed, Brown would be sworn in on October 1, the day after Milley’s term ends.
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General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force, arrives for the House Armed Services Committee hearing titled Department of the Air Force Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request at Rayburn Building on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Brown’s resume lists 26 assignments during his nearly 40 years of service in the Air Force. He was promoted to his current rank as a four-star general on July 26, 2018 his biography on the USAF website.
During his decades in the military, Brown has commanded a fighter squadron, the US Air Force Weapons School, two combat wings, and the US Air Forces Central Command. He is also a command pilot with over 3,000 flying hours, of which 130 are combat hours.
Prior to becoming Air Force Chief of Staff in August 2020, he served at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii in the following roles: Commander of the Pacific Air Forces, Commander of the Air Component of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Executive Director of Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence participate in the swearing-in of General Charles Q. Brown as the new Chief of Staff of the Air Force, in the Oval Office of the White House, August 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)
As chairman, Brown would inherit a Pentagon facing notable domestic and foreign problems, including the immersion in Russia’s war against Ukraine, competition with China in the Indo-Pacific, and challenges in recruiting the U.S. military.
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The last time an Air Force general was the top officer of the Pentagon was in the early 2000s when former President George W. Bush appointed Gen. Richard Myers as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was sworn in in October 2001.
