The Senate confirmed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the 22nd Air Force chief of staff on Tuesday, a historic decision which makes Brown the first black military service chief and only the second black officer to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In a tweet, President Donald Trump called the 98-0 Senate vote “a historic day for America,” saying he is “excited to work even more closely with Gen. Brown, who is a Patriot and Great Leader!”
A four-star general and former combat pilot who has served in the Air Force for 36 years, Brown currently leads Pacific Air Forces, a command which supports approximately 46,000 airmen serving mainly in South Korea, Japan, Guam, Hawaii and Alaska.
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The president nominated Brown for the position on March 2, but the general’s confirmation had been delayed as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska sought to use a legislative hold on the nomination as leverage for an aircraft basing decision.
Read more: ABC
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