() — President Joe Biden is expected to name General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the head of the Air Force, as his pick for the next highest-ranking US general, according to a source familiar with the matter.
If approved by the Senate, it would be the first time in US history that the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are African-American, a remarkable milestone for an administration that has prided itself on the diversity of its leaders.
Brown would succeed General Mark Milley, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2018. He would be only the second black man to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after General Colin Powell served from 1989-1993 under Presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton.
The announcement is scheduled for before July, according to a second US official, though the exact timing is unclear.
The New York Times was the first to report on the highly anticipated election.
The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has a four-year term. Although he is the highest ranking officer in the army, he does not have any command over the troops, instead he is the President’s top military adviser.
Milley’s term will expire at the end of September. Biden referred to Milley’s march during his remarks at the Commanders in Combat dinner Wednesday night at the White House.
“They probably don’t think about it, but they’re an extraordinary, extraordinary, extraordinary group of people, I mean that honestly…except for Milley, I’m not so sure,” he joked, relaying the conversation to higher-ups. “Actually, I don’t want to … I’ve embarrassed him. I said, ‘You know, I’m going to miss you so much.’ He replied, ‘I’m not going anywhere yet. Don’t get sentimental about me, Biden. I’m from Boston”.
Brown entered the Air Force in 1984 after graduating from the ROTC program at Texas Tech University. An F-16 fighter pilot with more than 3,000 hours of flight experience, Brown has served as deputy commander of the United States Central Command and commander of the Pacific Air Forces, among other postings. In August 2020, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
