President Biden is expected to recommend Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff while Army Gen. Mark Milley is about to finish.
If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Brown, who currently serves as the Air Force chief of staff, would become the second black person in the position. Army Gen. Colin Powell, appointed to the post by former President George HW Bush in 1989, was the first.
Although Brown has long been expected to become the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Biden also interviewed Gen. David Berger, the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, reported the Wall Street Journal.
Brown’s expected nomination was first reported Thursday by Politico, the WSJ said.
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Although the chairmanship does not follow a strict rotation between the branches, it is likely that another Army general will be appointed to succeed Milley. It also appears unlikely that a sailor will be nominated for the position as the current Joint Chiefs vice chairman is Navy Admiral Christopher Grady.
As expected, the White House and defense officials have been tight-lipped on Brown’s potential nomination, releasing limited details in statements to media outlets.
“When President Biden makes a final decision, he will inform the person selected and then announce it publicly,” the White House said via the WSJ. “That hasn’t happened yet.”
If confirmed, Brown will take the oath of office on Oct. 1, the day after Milley’s term.
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Brown’s resume includes 26 assignments during his nearly 40 years of service in the Air Force. He was promoted to his current rank of a four-star general on July 26, 2018, according to his biography on the USAF website.
During his decades in the military, Brown commanded a fighter squadron, the US Air Force Weapons School, two fighter wings and the US Air Forces Central Command. He is also a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.
Prior to becoming Air Force Chief of Staff in August 2020, he was assigned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii in the following roles: commander of the Pacific Air Forces, air component commander for the US Indo-Pacific Command and executive director of Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff.
As chairman, Brown will inherit a Pentagon facing prominent issues at home and abroad, including its immersion in Russia’s war in Ukraine, competition with China in the Indo-Pacific and challenges within the country’s military recruitment US.
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The last time an Air Force general served as the Pentagon’s top official was in the early 2000s when former President George W. Bush appointed Gen. Richard Myers to become the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was sworn into office in October 2001.