WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday announced his nomination of US Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown to become the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to replace the Pentagon’s current top general, Army Gen. Mark Milley.

If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would become Biden’s closest military adviser at a time when the United States is hastening to modernize the military’s joint force to head off potential conflict with China following two decades of counterinsurgency wars in the Middle East.

As the first Black chief of staff of the US Air Force, Brown has become known as an innovator who pressed the service to trim down on bureaucracy while adapting to new capabilities in joint warfare.

Former US officials who spoke to Al-Monitor described Brown as an ideal candidate as the Pentagon seeks to keep pace with China’s rapid advances, noting that the general also brings experience navigating a delicate balance of powers in the Middle East at a time when US forces are spread thinly in the region following withdrawals from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Brown, who oversaw US Air Force units in the Middle East starting in 2015 and became the deputy CENTCOM commander during the US-led coalition war against the Islamic State, had previously served as director of operations and strategic deterrence at US European Command following Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine.

His tenure at CENTCOM coincided with a blistering US-led bombing campaign against IS which has been criticized for resulting civilian casualties. Under Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon has vowed to reform its approach to documenting and reducing harm against civilians.

Source: Al Monitor