A former F-16 pilot who took over as Joe Biden’s chief military adviser was given the call sign “Swamp Thing” after his plane was struck by lightning and jumped into the Florida Everglades on Sunday.
General C.Q. Brown takes over as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from the high-profile and polarizing Mark Milley at a time when air defense becomes critical in the war in Ukraine and the United States faces off with China.
Current and former colleagues expect Brown, who is more soft-spoken than Milley, to work to keep the military out of political fray following the breakdown of his predecessor’s relationship with former President Donald Trump.
Heather Wilson, who served as Air Force secretary from 2017 to 2019, said: “CQ has always been very cautious about this and I expect the same. He understands the role of the military in the republic and I think he will well-done.”
Milley played a key role in providing aid to Ukraine and helping U.S. President Joe Biden negotiate between aiding Ukraine and avoiding war with Russia.
But his tenure was fraught with controversy, and in 2020 he accompanied then-President Trump in uniform from the White House during violent protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. Crossed Lafayette Square and participated in the televised parade. The incident was widely criticized for being photo-op after authorities used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear the area of protesters.
Milley later apologized and repeatedly stressed his commitment to keeping the military out of politics. But while Milley’s admirers praise him for steering Trump’s efforts to subvert democracy and the rule of law, critics say his role is too political. Milley developed a close relationship with Biden after falling out of favor with Trump.
Brown, who will become the second African American to serve as the military’s top officer, also experienced a legacy-defining moment during the 2020 protests following Floyd’s death.He comes just days before Congress votes on his promotion to become the Army’s first black Air Force chief of staff. freed In a video, he spoke movingly about the protests and the challenges he faced as a black man in the U.S. military.
Brown will hold the position for four years, meaning he could also serve under Republican primary candidate Trump if he wins the 2024 election.
Before Milley retired, Trump issued a statement on the “Truth Social” platform, suggesting that the general should be executed because he communicated with China behind his back during the latter stages of his administration. Milley has denied any wrongdoing during the call, in which he allegedly assured his People’s Liberation Army counterpart that the United States would not launch an attack on China.
Milley told 60 minutes This week he will “take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of myself and my family.”
At Brown’s swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Milley said: “We will not swear an oath to a wannabe dictator. . . . We will not be easily intimidated.”
Milley will be remembered as brash, outspoken and loquacious, while Brown was a self-described introvert. Current and former colleagues say he was often the last person to speak in meetings.
Deborah Lee James, who served as Air Force secretary in 2013, said: “He’s a guy who thinks about everything and then makes a decision, and he’s not going to tell you what he thinks right away because he wants to know first. Your thoughts.” By 2017, he was working most closely with Brown while he was in charge of the air war against the Islamic State.
Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Kevin Snyder said Brown valued candor and often told colleagues he wanted to “meet again after the meeting.”
“(Brown) doesn’t want us to sue after the fact because someone withheld information,” he said.
Brown, a former commander of Pacific Air Forces, will become the United States’ chief military officer in 2027, the year Xi Jinping has ordered preparations for an invasion of Taiwan, although some U.S. military leaders predict that could happen as early as 2025.
As head of the Air Force, he pushed for changes in the way the service prepared for a possible war with China, which he dubbed “accelerate change or fail.” He sought to move quickly to reshape the Air Force’s structure and move away from obsolete aircraft that he and other leaders deemed unsuitable for future warfare.
Aides said that during his tours as Air Force chief of staff, Brown usually flew in C-37 business jets and liked to enter the cockpit for takeoffs and landings. Earlier this year, he told an audience at Auburn University that his wife, a frequent travel companion, was the one who judged his performance.
Brown grew up in an Army family; his father, a retired colonel who served in Vietnam, encouraged him to apply for a Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship to attend Texas Tech University and continue when he considered leaving the program. Stay in the project. A freshman.
Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Joanne Bass said Brown liked to assure people he was a “regular guy.”
In his current residence, next door to the Chairman’s Mansion (known as “The Sixth Quarter”) where he will soon move, he still uses the same smoker he purchased as a young officer at Maxwell Air Force Base .
“The fact that he still keeps and uses the smoker he bought at Kmart over 20 years ago to cook brisket shows that he’s a man like all of us and very humble,” Bass said.
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