Biden to announce C.Q. Brown as Joint Chiefs chair nominee

Politics

President Joe Biden is set to announce on Thursday that he has picked Gen. C.Q. Brown, the Air Force’s top officer and the first Black person to lead any branch of the military, as his next Joint Chiefs chair, according to a senior administration official.

If confirmed, Brown would become the first Black Joint Chiefs chair in 30 years, since the late Colin Powell held the position in the George H.W. Bush administration. It would also be the first time in the nation’s history that the Pentagon’s top military and civilian positions are held by African Americans.

Brown would replace Army Gen. Mark Milley, whose four-year term as Joint Chiefs chair ends this fall. The senior administration official was granted anonymity to disclose the nomination ahead of the announcement on Thursday.