Charles Q. Brown Jr. nominated to be Air Force Chief of Staff

A 37-year officer who now leads the Pacific Air Forces has been nominated to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff and the first black man to hold that position in any of the service branches.

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. — whose fighter-pilot callsign is “CQ” — will take over, pending Senate confirmation, for Gen. David Goldfein who is retiring in June.

“I am truly honored and humbled by the nomination to serve as the Air Force’s 22nd Chief of Staff,” said Gen. Brown. “If confirmed, Sharene and I look forward to building upon the legacy of Gen. Dave and Dawn Goldfein and the many airpower giants before who have served our Air Force and our nation with such dedication.”

While Gen. Brown will be the first black officer to be a service chief, former Secretary of State Colin Powell was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But that was his last assignment as an Army officer; he was never the Army’s own chief of staff.

A graduate of Texas Tech University, Gen. Brown is a command pilot with more than 2,900 flying hours under his belt - including 130 combat hours — primarily flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon. He has commanded a fighter squadron, two fighter wings and the Air Force element of U.S. Central Command.

He was deputy commander at U.S. Central Command prior to his current assignment, Air Force officials said.

His predecessor called Gen. Brown, “one of the finest warriors our Air Force has ever produced.”

“He’s led worldwide - in the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. When it comes to global, operational savvy, there’s nobody stronger,” Gen. Goldfein said.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee offered his congratulations to Gen. Brown on the nomination and said he looks forward to reviewing his nomination and discussing efforts to increase and modernize the Air Force.

“Over the course of his 37 year career, he has completed multiple combat tours across the world,” said Sen. Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican.