North Dakota’s Republican Senators Vote for Gen. Brown As Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Gen. CQ Brown as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, putting him in place to succeed Gen. Mark Milley when he retires at the end of the month.
Brown’s confirmation on a 83-11 vote, months after President Joe Biden nominated him for the post, comes as Democrats try to maneuver around holds placed on hundreds of nominations by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville over the Pentagon’s abortion policy. The Senate is also expected to confirm Gen. Randy George to be Army Chief of Staff and Gen. Eric Smith as commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps this week.
Tuberville has been blocking the Senate from the routine process of approving military nominations in groups, frustrating Democrats who had said they would not go through the time-consuming process of bringing up individual nominations for a vote. More than 300 nominees are still stalled amid Tuberville’s blockade, and confirming them one-by-one would take months.
But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reversed course on Wednesday and moved to force votes on Brown, George and Smith.
“Senator Tuberville is forcing us to face his obstruction head on,” Schumer said. “I want to make clear to my Republican colleagues — this cannot continue.”
Tuberville did not object to the confirmation votes, saying he will maintain his holds but is fine with bringing up nominations individually for roll call votes.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that Brown’s confirmation, along with expected votes on Smith and George, is positive news. But “we should have never been in this position,” he said.
“While good for these three officers, it doesn’t fix the problem or provide a path forward for the 316 other general and flag officers that are held up by this ridiculous hold,” Kirby told reporters.
Brown, a career fighter pilot, was the Air Force’s first Black commander of the Pacific Air Forces and most recently its first Black chief of staff, making him the first African American to lead any of the military branches. His confirmation will also mark the first time the Pentagon’s top two posts were held by African Americans, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as the top civilian leader.
“We’ve worked closely with General Brown to expand and strengthen North Dakota’s missions. Whether it’s through modernizing our nuclear deterrent in Minot, enhancing our ISR capabilities in Grand Forks, advancing hypersonic missile technology or upgrading the MQ-9 for our Air Guard in Fargo, we will continue our efforts to provide the support and upgraded technology needed to ensure our servicemembers can continue to effectively counter our adversaries around the world,” said Sen. John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican.
“Congratulations to General C.Q. Brown on a well-earned confirmation to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Having an airman leading the Joint Chiefs is welcome news to our airmen in Minot and Grand Forks. Over the past three years as Secretary of the Air Force, he saw firsthand the critical contributions North Dakota makes to our national security. His experience and wisdom will serve him well in his new role,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota’s junior Republican senator.
