Biden picks history-making Air Force fighter pilot to serve as next Joint Chiefs chairman

By TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce Thursday that he is tapping a history-making Air Force fighter pilot to serve as the nation’s next top military officer, according to a senior administration official. The nomination of Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. has been long expected. Brown has years of experience shaping U.S. defenses to meet China’s rise. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, whose term ends in October. Brown’s confirmation would mean that, for the first time, both the Pentagon’s top military and civilian positions would be held by African Americans.