Life
Biden picks Black pilot as chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff
US President Joe Biden has named Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Quinton Brown Jr., a Black Air Force fighter pilot, as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff. He would succeed General Mark Milley, who is scheduled to retire in October.
If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would become the first Air Force general to hold the position since Gen. Richard Myers stepped down in 2005 – and only the fifth airman in the 73-year history of the job.
Brown, an F-16 fighter pilot, would bring nearly four decades of military service to the nation’s top military job, including stints as a Pacific and Middle East commander.
He is also the second Black service member to serve as chairman, following Army General Colin Powell, who served as chairman from 1989 to 1993.