We finally know who will replace General Milley as the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff.
Biden nominated Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. for the position.
Brown is pretty badass, but there are some concerns that we need to address.
Solid Pick
There is simply no way to attack this man on his military record, as it is about as solid as it gets.
Brown is an F-16 fighter pilot by trade, logging more than 3,000 hours of air time, and 130 hours of combat hours. His time in the box is impressive, to say the least, and that fruit salad on his chest is proof of that.
He has commanded at every level in the Air Force, so his leadership skills cannot be questioned.
Brown has been deeply involved in modernizing our airpower, and that will play a key part in how we move forward in defending this nation.
When you look down through military appointments, General Brown is on the list as the "first African American appointed" on several fronts, and he has exceeded expectations and thrived at every level.
He also opposes taxpayer funds to pay for abortions in states where abortions are illegal, so that should get him past the Senator Tommy Tuberville's (R-AL) blockade of military appointments in the Senate.
Here is the Fox News report on his nomination…
Now, that brings us to the one area where I think he is going to get challenged by Republicans… diversity.
Brown has openly stated that the diversity push has changed how personnel decisions are made, reports Air and Space Forces, and that is going to be a problem.
It should always be the best man or woman for the job, period, not the best person that also checks a certain box. If we are putting officers in charge of commands because of their race rather than their qualifications, well, I have a problem with that, as will Republican Senators that have to approve his nomination.
On this, Brown stated, "It was almost like, in some cases in the past, when you talk about diversity, folks were afraid to bring it up that you didn't have a slate of diverse candidates, or there wasn't an African American, Asian American, a woman on the slate.
"Now, it's almost like they've got to be on the slate and be considered. And so, as an institution and as a nation, we are more apt to talk about diversity, more so than we have in the past. Now, we've got to get past talk. … It's what we do. It's how we actually bring in … individuals and give them the opportunity."
He later added, "I hire for diversity, because they all bring a different perspective, which makes my decisions that much better, because I hear different sides of the argument.
"They all see it differently, you know. … Hearing from all these different groups provides a perspective, you know, 'I didn't think about that part.' It makes us stronger as an Air Force, and I think it makes us stronger as a nation as well."
I would wager just about anything that particular quote will be brought up during his confirmation hearing.
Having said that, I expect that he will more than likely be unanimously confirmed.
