President Joe Biden will appoint Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be replaced by Army Gen. Mark Milley, who will retire in October, a senior US official confirmed to Fox News.
The president plans to unveil Brown, a history-making fighter pilot, as his nominee during a Rose Garden event Thursday afternoon.
Brown, 60, is widely considered the front-runner to replace Milley, especially as the Pentagon shifts military capabilities away from land wars in the past to address growing cyber, space, nuclear and hypersonic warfare. threats to China.
According to a senior administration official, Biden sees Brown as the right person to be the nation’s next top military officer because of how he has modernized U.S. airpower for a potential fight with 21st century, including updating the US fleet and strengthening its nuclear arsenal.
WHO IS THE AIR FORCE GEN. CHARLES Q. BROWN JR, POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT OF GEN. MILLEY AS JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIR?
Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. considered to be the frontrunner to replace Army Gen. Mark Milley, who will retire in October. (US Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. Patrick Dixon)
Brown, a career F-16 fighter pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, has commanded all possible levels of the Air Force and the joint commands, including in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
He served as commander of the Pacific Air Forces, where he opposed China in the Indo-Pacific.
Brown is also heavily involved in the Pentagon’s efforts in Ukraine, as he oversees the billions of dollars in US financial and military aid provided to the country.
Retired Army Col. Charles Q. Brown, Sr., father, and Kay Brown, mother, put Air Force wings on the uniform of their son, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., then 2nd Lieutenant, at his pilot training graduation at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, 1986. Brown was an undergraduate Pilot Training student from May 1985 to April 1986 with the 82nd Student Squadron. (US Air Force)
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., formerly a colonel, pilots an aircraft at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, 2006. Brown served as Weapons School Commandant from July 2005 to May 2007 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (US Air Force)
Previously, he helped lead the US air campaign against the Islamic State militant group.
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Brown also broke many barriers in his career, as he became the first chief of staff of the Black Air Force, the service’s top military officer, three years ago. The appointment also made him the first African American to head any branch of the military.
He was first commissioned in 1984 after graduating from the ROTC program at Texas Tech University with a degree in civil engineering.
Brown’s confirmation is uncertain, however, because Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., the new military nominations.
He opposes the Pentagon’s policy of allowing funds to be used for military personnel seeking abortions if they are based in states where the surgery is illegal.
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., formerly a colonel, his wife, Sharene Brown, and sons, Sean and Ross, pose for a photo at the Nellis Air Force Base Air Show, Nevada, 2006. Brown served as Weapons School Commandant from July 2005 to May 2007 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (US Air Force)
Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett administers the oath of office to incoming Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. during the CSAF Transfer of Responsibility ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, August 6, 2020. Brown is the 22nd Chief of Staff of the Air Force. (US Air Force photo by Wayne Clark)
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is the highest official in the country and serves as a senior military advisor to the president, defense secretary and the National Security Council.
The chairman does not command the troops but plays a critical role in all major military issues, making policy decisions and advising on major combat operations.
The position also heads all the joint chiefs who head the various armed services.
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Historic photo of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, Washington, DC, May 5, 2022. (DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)
If Brown is confirmed by the Senate, both of the Pentagon’s top military and civilian positions will be held by African Americans for the first time. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black Pentagon chief, was confirmed in January 2021.
Army Gen. Colin Powell is the only other Black person to serve as Joint Chiefs chairman.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
