Biden appoints Charles Q. Brown as top U.S General

President Joe Biden appointed US Air Force Chief General Charles Q. Brown as the top US military official, the White House announced on Wednesday, elevating a veteran fighter pilot with Pacific experience at a time of escalating tensions with China.

Brown, whose appointment is subject to Senate confirmation, would be only the second black officer to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff after Colin Powell two decades ago.

Biden’s official schedule for Wednesday said: “In the afternoon, the president will announce his intent to nominate General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

The action comes after Biden named Lloyd Austin as the first black secretary of defence of the United States, the top civilian position at the Pentagon.

According to a senior Biden administration official, Biden accepted Austin’s advice and chose Brown because he “understands the strategic challenges the United States faces around the world.”

“He helped build and lead the air campaign against ISIS. He is deeply versed in the challenges posed by the PRC (Peoples Republic of China). And he has a strong understanding of our NATO allies’ perspectives and capabilities,” the official said.

With Brown’s confirmation, black Americans would hold the top two posts in the Pentagon for the first time, a significant achievement for an organisation that is diverse in its lower levels but predominantly white and male at the top.

Brown, a self-described introvert, stands in stark contrast to the outgoing chair, Army General Mark Milley, a loquacious Boston native who served throughout both the Trump and Biden administrations.

Known by colleagues as “CQ,” Brown’s experiences include overseeing coalition air operations against Islamic State from the Air Force’s top base in the Middle East.

But it’s his experiences as commander of the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific from 2018 to 2020 that gave him a primer on tensions with China’s rapidly strengthening military, an issue likely to loom large over his four-year term as chair.

Heather Wilson, who was secretary of the Air Force at the time, praised Brown’s leadership style and experience in the Pacific.

“He’s thoughtful, respected by his peers and subordinates, and will provide steady leadership and good advice for the country,” she told Reuters.

Reuters