President Biden on Thursday nominated Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown to function the following chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appointing him because the nation’s highest-ranking navy officer at a precarious time for America’s fight troops.
At a Rose Garden ceremony asserting the nomination, Mr. Biden hailed Gen. Brown as a frontrunner who’s deeply educated and ready for the challenges posed by China and Russia.
“With Gen. Brown as chairman, I know I’ll be able to rely on his advice as a military strategist and as a leader in military innovation, dedicated to keeping our armed forces the best in the world,” Mr. Biden mentioned.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves because the senior navy adviser to the president. If confirmed by the Senate, Gen. Brown will advise Mr. Biden on quite a lot of points, akin to Russia’s warfare on Ukraine and China’s navy aggression within the Asia-Pacific area. Either state of affairs may emerge as the following main battle for the U.S., making his appointment all of the extra vital.
“I’ll also be able to rely on him as a thoughtful, deliberate leader who was unafraid to speak his mind, as someone who will deliver an honest message that needs to be heard and will always do the right thing, even when it’s hard. That’s the No. 1 quality a president needs in a chairman,” the president mentioned.
Gen. Brown beforehand served as commander of Pacific Air Forces, the air element of the U.S.-Pacific Command. That expertise may show invaluable because the U.S. navigates China’s growth within the area. He has additionally held high-level positions in Europe and the Middle East.
He would succeed Gen. Mark A. Milley, who was appointed by President Trump in 2019. The chairman serves on the pleasure of the president for a four-year time period.
Gen. Milley’s tenure ends in September, and it was tumultuous. It included Mr. Trump’s efforts to make use of active-duty troops towards police brutality protesters in 2020, the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol and Mr. Biden‘s bungled withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Gen. Milley flanked Mr. Biden and Gen. Brown on the Rose Garden ceremony, the place he earned reward from the president for his “selfless commitment to our country.”
Gen. Brown could be solely the second Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Colin Powell held the place below President George H.W. Bush from 1989-1993.
With Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin serving as the primary Black man in his submit, the collection of Gen. Brown would mark the primary time in U.S. historical past that two Black males held essentially the most senior positions on the Pentagon on the similar time.
Mr. Austin mentioned he “enthusiastically” helps the president’s determination to appoint Gen. Brown because the twenty first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Known as “CQ” within the Air Force, Gen. Brown is each a talented fighter pilot and a considerate, strategic thinker, Mr. Austin mentioned Thursday on the Pentagon.
Mr. Austin noticed his abilities first-hand whereas he was nonetheless within the Army and commanding U.S. Central Command. He mentioned Gen. Brown did an excellent job main the air marketing campaign towards ISIS and rallied a broad coalition of allies that shattered the phobia group’s self-described caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
“He is an incredibly capable and professional officer. What he brings to any table is that professionalism (and) that deep experience in war fighting,” Mr. Austin instructed reporters. “I think Gen. Brown would be a great officer in any capacity that he’s in.”
Gen. Milley, the person he’ll exchange if confirmed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, mentioned has identified “CQ” for years and referred to as him a “great officer” who has developed a chemistry with the 2 males he’ll advise on navy issues: Mr. Austin and Mr. Biden.
“He has all the knowledge, skills, and attributes to do this job,” Gen. Milley mentioned. “CQ is absolutely superb and I am looking forward to a speedy confirmation.”
Following George Floyd’s dying in 2020, Gen. Brown launched an emotional video by which he expressed sorrow for “the many African Americans that suffered the same fate as George Floyd.”
Gen. Brown was serving because the commander of the Pacific Air Forces on the time of the video, which he recorded in uniform.
He mentioned being one of many solely Black folks at his faculty, in his platoon, and in management. It was as if he lived in “two worlds,” Gen. Brown mentioned, ascribing questions on his {qualifications} to racism.
“I’m thinking about the pressure I felt to perform error-free, especially for supervisors I perceived had expected less of me as an African American. I’m thinking about having to represent by working twice as hard to prove their expectations and perceptions of African Americans were invalid,” he mentioned.
Gen. Brown additionally spoke concerning the widespread racial injustice protests in 2020, offering an evaluation of what he felt he may and couldn’t do in that place.
“I can’t fix centuries of racism in our country, nor can I fix decades of discrimination that may have impacted members of our Air Force,” Gen. Brown mentioned within the video. “I’m thinking about how I can make improvements personally, professionally, and institutionally, so that all airmen, both today and tomorrow, appreciate the value of diversity and can serve in an environment where they can reach their full potential.”
It was a rare break in custom, particularly from an officer nominated by Mr. Trump to function the Air Force Chief. Mr. Trump was sharply vital of the protesters and bristled over the Pentagon’s refusal to deploy active-duty troops towards demonstrators.
The video launched shortly after Mr. Trump nominated him to function the Air Force chief didn’t price Gen. Brown a single Senate vote within the Republican-controlled chamber. He was confirmed in an awesome 98-0 vote.
Mr. Biden mentioned Thursday that the video took “real backbone” and demonstrated his “deep love of our country.”
“It struck a chord not only with our military members but with Americans all across the country,” Mr. Biden mentioned of the video.
Gen. Brown‘s nomination may be different this time around. Democrats hold a two-vote majority in the Senate, but Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Alabama Republican, is blocking Mr. Biden‘s military nominees in protest over the Pentagon’s abortion journey coverage.
Mr. Tuberville has additionally been a frequent critic of the Pentagon below Mr. Biden, arguing that it has grow to be too “woke” and has emphasised variety on the expense of its core mission to defend the U.S.
Gen. Brown is a longtime fighter pilot whose file contains 26 assignments throughout his almost 40-year navy profession, in keeping with his biography on the Air Force web site. He has logged greater than 3,000 flying hours, together with 130 fight hours.
Commissioned in 1984 from the ROTC program at Texas Tech University, Gen. Brown has commanded a fighter squadron, two fighter wings, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, and the U.S. Air Force Weapons School.
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