Joe Biden Nominates Black Air Force General to Head US Army – trendswire

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden nominated General Charles Brown for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday, hailing the black career pilot as a hero who not only survived being ejected from a fighter jet to a swamp, but also fought against racism.
If confirmed by the Senate, “CQ” Brown, as he is known, will become Biden’s top military adviser. Only the second black man chosen for the job, his confirmation, serving alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, would mark the first time African-Americans have simultaneously held both top Army posts.
“General Brown is a warrior descended from a proud line of warriors,” Biden said in the White House rose garden, pointing to Brown’s military family.
As a pilot with 3,000 hours logged, including 130 in combat, Brown “knows what it means to be in the heat of battle and how to stay calm,” Biden said at the nomination ceremony.
Making laughs, Biden recounted how Brown’s F-16 jet once caught fire and shot into a Florida swamp. “Very funny, huh?” Biden chuckled.
Biden praised the general as someone whose career has given him “unmatched firsthand knowledge” of United States military operations around the world, earning the respect of “our allies and partners.”
“He plays to win,” Biden said, and “that’s going to be a great asset to me as commander in chief and to the United States of America as we face challenges in the years ahead.”
As the Pentagon’s top military officer, Brown would work to “maintain a fighting force capable of deterring and defeating any potential threat,” Biden said. “And we have to manage our competition with China and face the reality of renewed (Russian) aggression in Europe.”
Brown would also preside over an era in which “emerging technologies, from AI to 3D printing, could fundamentally change the character of conflict,” the president said.
Biden, who has prioritized elevating minorities to the highest posts in his government, submitted Brown’s nomination as part of a celebration of “the most American of ideas, the most obvious truth: that all women and men Men are created equal.”
Biden recalled earlier testimony from Brown about “his own experience of racism and his deep love for our country,” saying that speaking out had taken a “real backbone” from him.
If confirmed in the Senate, Brown will replace Army General mark milleywhose four-year term included serving through the end of Donald Trump’s chaotic presidency.