Senate Confirms Gen. Charles Brown to be 22nd Air Force Chief of Staff; Gens. Mark Milley, David Goldfein Quoted

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Gen. Charles Brown Jr. in a unanimous vote to be the 22nd Air Force chief of staff, marking the first African American in history to lead a branch of the U.S. military as its highest-ranking officer, the U.S. Air Force announced on Tuesday.

“Leaders of their caliber will perpetuate the legacy of excellence that Gen. Goldfein and Dawn Goldfein have epitomized over the last four years. Gen. Brown’s unrivaled leadership, operational experience and global perspective will prove crucial as we continue modernizing the Air Force to meet tomorrow’s national security challenges and protect our nation,” said secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett.

He will officially assume responsibilities and succeed the retiring Gen. David Goldfein, a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, at a swearing-in ceremony on Aug. 6. Brown was nominated to serve as the 22nd Air Force chief of staff in March and appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee in May for his confirmation hearing.

Goldfein congratulated Brown and cited his qualifications to be the next Air Force chief of staff. “There is no one I know who is better prepared to be chief of staff, no one who has the experience and the temperament to lead the Air Force,” Goldfein said. “The Air Force and our nation will be in good hands under his leadership.”

“Welcome to the team, CQ. We all look forward to working with you to ensure we remain a ready and lethal Joint Force, poised to protect our national security interests anywhere, anytime. Our airmen will be in great hands with you as our CSAF 22,” said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and four-time Wash100 Award recipient. 

Brown was commissioned in 1984 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Texas Tech University. He is a command pilot with more than 2,900 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.

Brown currently serves as the U.S. Pacific Air Forces commander and the air component commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. U.S. Pacific Air Forces is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports more than 46,000 Airmen serving principally in Japan, South Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.

Brown has pledged to ensure Air Force readiness to support the National Defense Strategy, stating, “I am committed to the Air Force achieving irreversible momentum towards implementation of the National Defense Strategy and an integrated and more lethal joint force."