AFP: US President Joe Biden on Thursday nominated General Charles Brown for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lauding the Black career pilot as a hero who’d not only survived ejecting from a fighter jet into a swamp but fought against racism.
If confirmed by the Senate, “CQ” Brown, as he’s known, will become Biden’s senior military advisor. Only the second Black man ever picked for the job, his confirmation — serving alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — would mark the first time that African Americans have simultaneously filled both of the military’s top jobs. “General Brown is a warrior descended from a proud line of warriors,” Biden said in the White House Rose Garden, noting Brown’s military family.As a pilot with 3,000 hours logged, including 130 in combat, Brown “knows what it means to be in the thick of battle and how to keep your cool,” Biden told the nomination ceremony.
Drawing laughter, Biden recounted how Brown’s F-16 jet once caught fire and he ejected into a Florida swamp. “A lot of fun, huh?” Biden chuckled.Biden praised the general as someone whose career has given him “unmatched first-hand knowledge” of US military operations around the world, earning respect from “our allies and partners.”