WASHINGTON — President Biden formally announced his nomination of Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Thursday, but the Senate will have to move past a political divide for him to be confirmed as the nation’s top military officer.
“Gen. Brown is a proud, butt-kickin’ American airman,” Biden said in the White House Rose Garden.
“And he has an unmatched, firsthand knowledge of our operations, operational theaters, and a strategic vision to understand how they all work together to ensure the security for the American people.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Brown, 61, would replace the current Joint Chiefs chairman, Army Gen. Mark Milley — who has held the post since October 2019 and is retiring after a 43-year military career.
Currently the top officer in charge of the Air Force, Brown previously led the Pacific Air Forces, which directs the service’s operations confronting China in the western Pacific.
![President Joe Biden, Gen. Charles Q. Brown](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011734699.jpg?w=1024)
The experience will be valuable as Washington considers Beijing its No. 1 adversary.
Brown — whose grandfather “led a segregated [military] unit in World War II,” according to Biden — would be the second-ever black man to serve in the role after the late Colin Powell, who held the post from 1989 to 1993.
“Gen. Brown is an incredibly capable and professional officer, and what he brings to the table, to any table, is that professionalism, that deep experience in warfighting and I have personal knowledge of that,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Thursday.
“So I think General Brown is going to be a great officer in any capacity.”
Milley also spoke highly of his possible replacement on Thursday, saying he and Austin had known Brown “for a long time.”
![Sen. Tommy Tuberville](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011195768.jpg?w=1024)