President Joe Biden has nominated Gen. Charles Brown Jr., chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force since August 2020, to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Brown would succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley, whose term is slated to end in October, if the nomination receives Senate approval.
In his current role, Brown oversees 689,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces globally and serves as a military adviser to the president, the secretary of defense and the National Security Council.
He was commissioned in 1984 and has logged more than 3,000 flying hours as a command pilot.
“No matter how complicated the mission, from helping build and lead the coalition now more than 80 nations strong to counter ISIS threats in the Middle East, to positioning our Air Force for the future in the Indo-Pacific, General Brown has built a reputation across the force as an unflappable and highly effective leader; as someone who creates an environment of teamwork, trust and — and then executes with excellence; and someone who smokes a mean brisket,” President Biden said Thursday at a White House Rose Garden event.
In a separate statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a 2023 Wash100 winner, described Brown “an inspiring and effective leader and a man of deep integrity and compassion.”
“During his 39 years of service to our nation, Gen. Brown has excelled as a fighter pilot, military strategist, and senior commander,” Austin added.
