Charles Q. Brown Jr

First Black Head of a Branch of the U.S. Armed Services

General Charles Q. Brown.

Charles Q. Brown Jr. is a United States Air Force four-star general who, on August 6, 2020, became the 22nd chief of staff of the Air Force during a swearing-in ceremony held at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. General Brown made history by being the first black American to be appointed chief of staff, and therefore the first black American to lead a United States military service branch. General Brown is the senior uniformed officer in the Air Force, overseeing the training and equipping of close to three quarter-million active-duty men and women serving as Guard, Reserve, or civilian forces both stateside and overseas. One of his functions as a member of the Joint Chiefs of staff is to advise the president, the National Security Council, and the secretary of defense.

Charles Quinton Brown Jr. was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1962. Both his father and grandfather served in the military. His father, Charles Q Brown Sr., fulfilled an army career and retired as a colonel. His grandfather, Robert E. Brown Jr.—a master sergeant—was drafted into the Army in 1943 and served in the Pacific Theatre, namely Hawaii, during World War II. Charles Q. Brown Jr. started on the path to a military career by enrolling in an Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he majored in civil engineering. In 1984, Brown earned his bachelor’s and was recognized as a distinguished graduate of Texas Tech University by the alumni association in 2012. He was commissioned into the Air Force as a second lieutenant in 1985.

Charles Q. Brown earning his pilot wings. Adapted from a photo courtesy of the Brown family.

Nine years later, in 1994, General Brown graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Daytona Beach, Florida, with a Master of Science in Aeronautics degree. Throughout his career, General Brown completed various training programs. He also filled several posts within squadron and wing units. Brown was an F-16 instructor at the United States Air Force Weapons School and a commander of fighter wings. He also directed numerous military operations. During his three-decade career, General Brown rose through the commissioned officer ranks. He rose through all company and field grade levels and finally the general officer ranks. In total, he amassed 2,900 flying hours that included 130 combat hours.

As a three-star general, Brown was appointed as head of the United States Air Forces Central Command (USAFCENT) and deputy commander of U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) in summer 2016. General Lloyd J. Austin III, the first black American general to head U.S. Central Command, left that office a few months before General Brown served as deputy. Two years later, in July 2018, General Brown became a four-star general and was appointed commander of the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), overseeing all Indo-Pacific U.S. Air Force operations.

But General Brown’s career highlight came in 2020, beginning with President Donald Trump’s announcement that Brown was nominated to become the new Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on June 9, 2020, with a unanimous 98–0 vote. Brown later said:

“I’m thinking about how my nomination provides some hope but also comes with a heavy burden.”

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