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Charles Q. Brown Jr.

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Charles Q. Brown Jr.
General Charles Q. Brown Jr. in 2020
Nickname(s)CQ
Born1962 (age 61–62)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Air Force
Years of service1985–present
RankGeneral
CommandsChief of Staff of the Air Force
Pacific Air Forces
United States Air Forces Central Command
31st Fighter Wing
8th Fighter Wing
USAF Weapons School
78th Fighter Squadron
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal (2)
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (4)
Signature

Charles Quinton Brown Jr.[1] (born 1962) is a United States Air Force four-star general who currently serves as the 22nd chief of staff of the Air Force. He is the first African-American to be appointed as Chief of Staff and the first African-American to lead any branch of the United States Armed Forces. Brown assumed office from Gen. David L. Goldfein who served as Chief of Staff since 2016 in a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews on 6 August 2020.

Brown's previous assignments include serving as the commander of Pacific Air Forces, air component commander for United States Indo-Pacific Command and executive director of the Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff. As the air component commander for CENTCOM, he was responsible for developing contingency plans and conducting air operations in a 20-nation area of responsibility covering Central and Southwest Asia.[2] Brown also previously served as the deputy commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and prior to that, he was the commander of Air Forces Central.

Brown is included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.[3]

Early life

File:Charles Q. Brown receiving his first pilot wing.jpg
Lieutenant Charles Q. Brown Jr., received his first command-pilot wing.

Charles Quinton Brown Jr. was born in 1962. Brown who went by the nicknamed "CQ", grew up in a military family in San Antonio, Texas. Brown's Father, Charles Q. Brown. Sr, served for 30 years within the Army and rose to the rank of Colonel. His grandfather, Robert E. Brown was drafted in World War II and served in the Pacific Theatre in Hawaii and Saipan. Brown had one sister. Brown later attended Texas Tech University, majoring in engineering.[4][5]

Brown's active duty career began in 1985, when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. He is a brother of the Eta Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

In 1994, Brown earned a master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

In 2012, the Texas Tech Alumni Association declared Brown a "Distinguished Graduate" of Texas Tech University.[6][7]

Military career

Lieutenant General Charles Q. Brown Jr. with General Lloyd Austin during the Ninth Air Force change of command ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, June 29, 2015.
Then-Lieutenant General Charles Q. Brown Jr. flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Lieutenant General Charles Q. Brown Jr., during his tenure as commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command at Dubai Air Show 2015.

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, VA.[2]

Brown has commanded a fighter squadron, the United States Air Force Weapons School, and two fighter wings. One of the fighter wings that Brown commanded was the 8th Fighter Wing which was nicknamed as "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.[2]

Brown’s career as a General officer began when he was promoted as the Commander of the 31st Fighter wing in Aviano Air Force Base, Italy and elevated to the rank of Brigadier General on June 2009. On 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 and in March 2014 Major General Brown was appointed as U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence, and Nuclear Integration at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany.[8][9]

On June 2015 Brown received his third-star and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General when he was appointed as United States Air Forces Central Command (USAFCENT) and as Deputy Commander of U.S. Central Command on July 2016. As Commander of the United States Air Forces Central Command, Brown oversees all of United States Air Forces operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, while also in-charge as second-in-command of USCENTCOM. [9][8]

In July 2018, following General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy nomination to lead the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) Brown was nominated to succeed General O'Shaughnessy as commander of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and was promoted into the position of Four-Star General and received its Four-Star. In this capacity General Brown overseas all of major United States Air Force operations within the Indo-Pacific region.[10]

Air Force Chief of Staff

United States Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., at Andrews Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., on November 12, 2020.

On 2 March 2020, it was announced that President Donald Trump would nominate Brown to become the next Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, succeeding David L. Goldfein.[11] On 9 June 2020, Brown was unanimously confirmed (98–0) by the United States Senate to succeed Goldfein as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. This confirmation made him the first African American to lead a branch of the United States Armed Forces.[12] In this capacity, as United States Air Force Chief of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown Jr. therefore was the most senior uniformed Air Force officer which responsible for organizing, training and equipping all of the active-duty Air Force officers, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. As Air Force Chief of Staff General Brown also become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was tasked to advise the President, Secretary of Defense and National Security Council regarding Air Force matters. Part of Brown's actions following his appointment as Air Force Chief of Staff was establish a flexible logistics system according to the Air Force's fiscal year of 2021 budget in order to ensure the Air Force is capable of conducting "logistics under attack," on which it was considers as United States Air Force key to success in a highly contested environment. General Brown also support the idea of "expeditionary logistics under attack," which was necessary in order to provide the service with "agile and survivable forward communications" as deterrent against an attack via cyberspace.[13]

Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., piloting a Boeing KC-46A Pegasus.

General Brown wanted to continue in pursuing what his predecessor General David L. Goldfein maintained as top priority about multi-domain command and control following he Air Force Association’s 2016 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. According to General Brown, the importance of Joint All-Domain Command and Control was to empashized the necessary needs of an Air Force which would be able to fly, fight and win the air superiority and air domain as part of the joint team.[13] Following the establishment of the United States Space Force which was also part of the Department of the Air Force, General Brown also wanted to ensuring the Space Superiority and will work closely with the first Chief of Space Operations General Jay Raymond. General Brown also acknowledge that the United States Space Force was a great deal of the Air Force department's development and near-term innovation that would be in the space domain operation. General Brown also emphasize the importance of Space Superiority and committed for full working collaboration between the Air Force and Space Force to strengthen the Space Force capability as the world's first and currently only independent space force.[13]

During his tenure as Air Force Chief of Staff, General Brown also began to start integrating the United States Air Force new tanker aircraft, Boeing KC-46 Pegasus as part of Air Force fleet rejuvenation and began its operation within Air Mobility Command. The Boeing KC-46 Pegasus would later be tasking for mid-air refueling missions that provide next generation aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and partner-nation receivers. To demonstrate the strength and capability of the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, the Air Force sent three KC-46s from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing to Joint Base Andrew for a demonstration flight, in which General Brown and several Congressional delegation, including U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, A longtime advocate for the KC-46A Pegasus tanker, participated in the demonstration flight.[14][15]

General Brown also included and mentioned during the 2021 African-American History Month for making history as the first African-American military Chief of Staff and was the first African-American that lead any military branch within the United States Armed Forces along with General Lloyd Austin as the first African-American to serve as a United States Secretary of Defense.[16][17][18]

General Brown is considered a strong contender to succeed General Mark Milley as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[19]

Education

File:General Charles Q. Brown Jr. with Air Chief Marshal Yuyu Sutisna.jpg
General Charles Q. Brown Jr. with Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff Air Chief Marshal Yuyu Sutisna during a visit to Jakarta, Indonesia.
  1. 1984 Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock
  2. 1991 U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
  3. 1992 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  4. 1994 Master of Aeronautical Science degree, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
  5. 1997 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  6. 2000 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  7. 2004 National Defense Fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Va.
  8. 2008 AF Senior Leadership Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
  9. 2012 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  10. 2014 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  11. 2015 Pinnacle Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
  12. 2017 Leadership at the Peak, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.[2]

Assignments

  1. May 1985 – April 1986, student, undergraduate pilot training, 82nd Student Squadron, Williams AFB, Ariz.
  2. May 1986 – July 1986, student, lead-in fighter training, 434th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Holloman, AFB, N.M.
  3. August 1986 – March 1987, student, F-16 training, 62nd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla.
  4. April 1987 – October 1988, F-16 pilot, 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea
  5. 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, Fla.
  6. April 1991 – August 1991, student, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
  7. August 1991 – August 1992, F-16 squadron weapons officer and flight commander, 307th Fighter Squadron, Homestead AFB, Fla.
  8. September 1992 – October 1994, weapons school instructor, and standardization and evaluation flight examiner, F-16 Division, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
  9. October 1994 – July 1996, aide-de-camp to the Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
  10. August 1996 – June 1997, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  11. June 1997 – September 1997, student, Armed Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Va.
  12. September 1997 – November 1999, air operations officer, Current Operations Division, Operations Directorate, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
  13. 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, 78th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C.
  14. July 2003 – June 2004, National Defense Fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Va.
  15. June 2004 – June 2005, Deputy Chief, Program Integration Division, Directorate of Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
  16. July 2005 – May 2007, Commandant, USAF Weapons School, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.
  17. May 2007 – May 2008, Commander, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea
  18. June 2008 – May 2009, Director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
  19. June 2009 – April 2011, Commander, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy
  20. May 2011 – May 2013, Deputy Director, Operations Directorate, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
  21. May 2013 – February 2014, Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command; Deputy, Combined Force Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia
  22. March 2014 – June 2015, Director, Operations, Strategic Deterrence, and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, Ramstein AB, Germany
  23. June 2015 – July 2016 Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command; Combined Force Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia
  24. July 2016 – July 2018, Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
  25. July 2018 – July 2020, Commander, Pacific Air Forces; Air Component Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and Executive Director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii[2]
  26. August 2020 – present, Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, Pentagon, Arlington, Va.

Summary of Joint Assignments

  1. September 1997–November 1999, Air Operations Officer, Current Operations Division, Operations Directorate, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., as a major
  2. May 2011–May 2013, Deputy Director, Operations Directorate, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a brigadier general
  3. July 2016–July 2018, Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla., as a lieutenant general
  4. July 2018–August 2020, Commander, Pacific Air Forces; Air Component Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and Executive Director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, as a general

Flight information

Rating: Command pilot.
Flight hours: more than 2,900, including 130 combat hours.
Aircraft flown: F-16A/B/C/D, AC-130U, AH-64, AT-38, B-1B, B-2A, B-52H, C-130J, E-8C, HH-60G, KC-135, MV-22, T-37, T-38 and two more fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft.[2]

Awards and decorations

Brown has received the following awards and decorations:[2]

Personal decorations
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Width-44 crimson ribbon with a pair of width-2 white stripes on the edges Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters
Width-44 scarlet ribbon with width-4 ultramarine blue stripe at center, surrounded by width-1 white stripes. Width-1 white stripes are at the edges. Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Width-44 crimson ribbon with two width-8 white stripes at distance 4 from the edges. Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Unit awards
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Joint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two oak leaf clusters
Service awards
Combat Readiness Medal
Campaign and service medals
Bronze star
Width=44 scarlet ribbon with a central width-4 golden yellow stripe, flanked by pairs of width-1 scarlet, white, Old Glory blue, and white stripes
 National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Service, training, and marksmanship awards
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold frame and oak leaf cluster
Air Force Longevity Service Award with one silver and three bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Training Ribbon
Foreign awards
Order of National Security Merit Sam-Il Medal (Republic of Korea)
NATO Medal for Former Yugoslavia
Other accoutrements
US Air Force Command Pilot Badge
Philippine Air Force Gold Wings Badge (May 2019)[20]
Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Headquarters Air Force Badge

Effective dates of promotion

Insignia Rank Date
General July 26, 2018
Lieutenant general June 29, 2015
Major general July 3, 2013
Brigadier general Nov. 20, 2009
Colonel June 1, 2005
Lieutenant colonel July 1, 1999
Major Aug. 1, 1996
Captain Feb. 28, 1989
First lieutenant Feb. 28, 1987
Second lieutenant Feb. 28, 1985


References

  1. ^ Commencement Texas Tech University 1984
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "General Charles Q. Brown Jr". Retrieved 2019-01-11. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "General Charles Q. Brown Jr: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020". Time. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  4. ^ "He proved the sky's the limit for Black airmen". Dallas News. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  5. ^ "Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Brown Jr. Opens Up About Emotional Talks on Race with His Sons". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  6. ^ "Brig. Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr". Texas Techsan. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Alumni Association. p. 26.
  7. ^ Karney, Katelyn (2012-03-04). "People". Texas Techsan. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech Alumni Association. p. 10.
  8. ^ a b "GENERAL CHARLES Q. BROWN, JR". www.af.mil. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  9. ^ a b "General Charles Q. Brown, JR". www.defense.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  10. ^ "Pentagon taps Central Command deputy to lead Pacific Air Forces". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  11. ^ "General Officer Announcement". U.S. Department of Defense. 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  12. ^ "Senate confirms Brown to be 22nd Air Force chief of staff on unanimous vote". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  13. ^ a b c "The Next CSAF Lays Out Top Priorities". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  14. ^ Lenahan, Ian. "Sen. Shaheen takes flight with Pease 157th Air Refueling Wing". Seacoastonline.com. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  15. ^ "Air Mobility Command to Start Integrating KC-46 Into Limited Operations". Air Force Magazine. 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  16. ^ "Celebrating African American Military Milestones - The Beacon". Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  17. ^ Bostick, Thomas. "Black History Is American History". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  18. ^ "Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Brown Jr. Opens Up About Emotional Talks on Race with His Sons". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  19. ^ Hitchens, Theresa. "CSAF Brown On Deck For Joint Chiefs Chair: RUMINT". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  20. ^ "U.S. Pacific Air Forces Commander's Visit to Manila Enhances Partnership with Philippine Air Force". U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. May 17, 2019.
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Military offices
Preceded by Commander of the United States Air Forces Central Command
2015–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Commander of the United States Central Command
2016–2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of the Pacific Air Forces
2018–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
2020–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded byas Chief of Naval Operations Order of precedence of the United States
as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force 		Succeeded byas Chief of Space Operations
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