Four-star Gen. Charles Brown Jr. has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate as the 22nd chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, becoming the first black man to head one of the country’s six military services.
Brown, born in 1962, is only the second black man to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joining former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was chairman of the joint chiefs under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
The Senate voted 98-0 on Tuesday to confirm Brown, a former fighter pilot who will replace Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein. Goldfein has served as the Air Force’s chief since 2016.
Brown became an officer in the Air Force after graduating from the ROTC program at Texas Tech University in 1984.
He has served in a variety of positions, including commanding a fighter squadron and two fighter wings. He also was an F-16 instructor at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School.
His most recent post has been as commander of the Pacific Air Forces, responsible for the USAF’s activities spread over half the world involving more than 46,000 airmen serving principally in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.
He has 2,900 hours of flight time – primarily in the F-16 Falcon but also in the B-1, B-52, AC-130, KC-135 and 11 other aircraft, 130 have been in combat.
He was promoted to brigadier general in 2009 and earned his fourth star in 2018. He joins the board with the service chiefs heading the Army, Navy, Marines, Space Force and National Guard.
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