Charles Q. Brown Jr.

Charles Q. Brown Jr.
Charles Quinton Brown Jr. (born 1962) is a United States Air Force general who has served as the 21st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since October 1, 2023. He most recently served as the 22nd chief of staff of the Air Force from 2020 to 2023. Brown entered the Air Force in 1984. A fighter pilot, he has logged over 3,000 flight hours, including 130 hours in combat. He has commanded the Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, 31st Fighter Wing, 8th Fighter Wing, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and 78th Fighter Squadron. He has also served as deputy commander of the U.S. Central Command.
In 2020, Brown was named by Time magazine on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Early life and education
Charles Quinton Brown Jr. was born in 1962 to a military family in San Antonio, Texas. Brown was nicknamed "CQ". He had one sister. His father, Charles Sr., served for 30 years in the Army, rising to the rank of colonel. His paternal grandfather, Robert E. Brown, was drafted in World War II and served in the Pacific Theater in Hawaii and Saipan.
Brown graduated in 1980 from Homer L. Ferguson High School in Newport News, Virginia and from Texas Tech University in Lubbock with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He was also a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps. At Texas Tech, he joined the Eta Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in the spring of 1981.
In 1994, while serving in the Air Force, Brown earned a master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Military career
Brown was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1985 after completing the ROTC program. Brown has served in a variety of positions at the squadron and wing level, including an assignment to the United States Air Force Weapons School as an F-16 instructor. His notable staff tours include aide-de-camp to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force; director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group; and deputy director, operations, U.S. Central Command. He also served as a national defense fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Virginia.
Brown has commanded a fighter squadron, the United States Air Force Weapons School, and two fighter wings. One was the 8th Fighter Wing, nicknamed "Wolf Pack", at Kunsan Air Force Base, South Korea. Prior to his current assignment, he served as director, operations, strategic deterrence, and nuclear integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe—Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He is a command pilot with more than 2,900 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.
Brown's career as a general officer began when he was appointed as commander of the 31st Fighter wing in Aviano Air Force Base, Italy. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in June 2009. In May 2013, Brown was promoted to the rank of major general when he was appointed as deputy commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, U.S. Central Command. In March 2014 he was appointed as director of operations, strategic deterrence, and nuclear integration of U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany.
In June 2015, Brown received his third star when he was appointed as commander of United States Air Forces Central Command (USAFCENT). In July 2016 he was appointed as deputy commander of United States Central Command. As AFCENT commander, Brown oversaw all of Air Force operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, while also second-in-command of USCENTCOM.
In July 2018, Brown was nominated to succeed General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy as commander of Pacific Air Forces. O'Shaughnessy was nominated to become commander of the United States Northern Command. Brown was also promoted to four-star general with this position. As PACAF commander, Brown oversaw all of major United States Air Force operations within the Indo-Pacific region.
Chief of Staff of the Air Force
On March 2, 2020, the White House announced that President Donald Trump would nominate Brown to become the next Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, succeeding General David L. Goldfein. On June 9, 2020, Brown was unanimously confirmed (98–0) by the United States Senate to succeed Goldfein as Chief of Staff of the US Air Force. With this confirmation he became the first African American to lead a branch of the United States Armed Forces. As Air Force Chief of Staff, he advises the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council regarding Air Force matters, and is the most senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for organizing, training and equipping all of the active-duty Air Force officers, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.
Brown has acted to establish a flexible logistics system in the Air Force's budget for Fiscal year 2021, in order to ensure the Air Force is capable of conducting "expeditionary logistics under attack".
Brown has maintained Goldfein's prioritization of multi-domain command and control following the Air Force Association's 2016 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. Following the establishment of the United States Space Force, which is also part of the Department of the Air Force, Brown worked closely with the first Chief of Space Operations General Jay Raymond. Brown has said that the Space Force will make up much of the Air Force department's "near-term innovation and development". He has emphasized the importance of space superiority and committed to a full collaboration between the Air Force and Space Force.
As Air Force Chief of Staff, Brown began integration of the new tanker aircraft, Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, as part of Air Force fleet rejuvenation, and began its operation within Air Mobility Command. Brown and several Congressional delegation members, including U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a longtime advocate for the tanker, participated in a demonstration flight at Joint Base Andrews.
Brown was featured during the 2021 African-American History Month for making history as the first African-American military chief of staff and the first African American who has led any military branch within the United States Armed Forces. General Lloyd Austin, the first African American to serve as a United States Secretary of Defense, was also featured. Brown was made an honorary Tuskegee Airman, receiving the symbolic red jacket in a ceremony on August 14, 2021.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Considered a frontrunner for the position prior to his official nomination, Brown was formally announced as President Joe Biden's nominee to succeed General Mark Milley as the 21st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on May 25, 2023. He was confirmed by the Senate on September 20, 2023, and sworn in on September 29. His term is effective as of October 1, 2023.
Education
1984 Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock
1991 U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
1992 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
1994 Master of Aeronautical Science degree, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida
1997 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2000 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2004 National Defense Fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Virginia
2008 AF Senior Leadership Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, North Carolina
2012 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2014 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2015 Pinnacle Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2017 Leadership at the Peak, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Assignments
May 1985 – April 1986, student, undergraduate pilot training, 82nd Student Squadron, Williams AFB, Arizona
May 1986 – July 1986, student, lead-in fighter training, 434th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Holloman AFB, New Mexico
August 1986 – March 1987, student, F-16 training, 62nd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, MacDill AFB, Florida
April 1987 – October 1988, F-16 pilot, 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
November 1988 – April 1991, F-16 instructor pilot, wing electronic combat officer, and wing standardization and evaluation flight examiner, 307th and 308th Tactical Fighter Squadrons, Homestead AFB, Florida
April 1991 – August 1991, student, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nevada
August 1991 – August 1992, F-16 squadron weapons officer and flight commander of 307th Fighter Squadron, Homestead AFB, Florida
September 1992 – October 1994, weapons school instructor, and standardization and evaluation flight examiner, F-16 Division, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
October 1994 – July 1996, aide-de-camp to the chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia
August 1996 – June 1997, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
June 1997 – September 1997, student, Armed Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Virginia
September 1997 – November 1999, air operations officer, Current Operations Division, Operations Directorate, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Florida
November 1999 – June 2003, F-16CJ instructor pilot and assistant operations officer, 79th Fighter Squadron; weapons and training flight commander, 20th Operations Support Squadron; operations officer, 55th Fighter Squadron; and commander of 78th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, South Carolina
July 2003 – June 2004, National Defense Fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Virginia
June 2004 – June 2005, deputy chief of Program Integration Division, Directorate of Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia
July 2005 – May 2007, commandant, USAF Weapons School, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada
May 2007 – May 2008, commander, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea
June 2008 – May 2009, director of Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia
June 2009 – April 2011, commander, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy
May 2011 – May 2013, deputy director of Operations Directorate, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Florida
May 2013 – February 2014, deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command; deputy, Combined Force Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia
March 2014 – June 2015, director of operations, strategic deterrence, and nuclear integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, Ramstein AB, Germany
June 2015 – July 2016, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command; Combined Force Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia
July 2016 – July 2018, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Florida
July 2018 – July 2020, commander of Pacific Air Forces; Air Component Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and executive director of Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
August 2020 – September 2023, chief of staff, United States Air Force, Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
October 2023 – present, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
Flight information
Awards and decorations
Brown has received the following awards and decorations:
Other Recognition
In 2022, Brown received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.
Effective dates of promotion
References
External links
Official USAF Biography
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1962 births
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people
African-American United States Air Force personnel
Chiefs of Staff of the United States Air Force
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni
Living people
Military personnel from San Antonio
Order of National Security Merit members
Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
Recipients of the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera)
Texas Tech University alumni
United States Air Force generals
Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff