Charles Q. Brown Jr.

On 2 March 2020, it was announced that President Trump would nominate Brown to become the next Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, succeeding David L. Goldfein.

Charles Quinton Brown Jr. (born 1962) is a United States Air Force general. He currently serves as commander of Pacific Air Forces, air component commander for United States Indo-Pacific Command and executive director of the Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff. He previously served as the deputy commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Before serving as the deputy commander of CENTCOM, he was the Commander Air Forces Central. As the air component commander for CENTCOM, he was responsible for developing contingency plans and conducting air operations in a 20-nation area of responsibility covering Central and Southwest Asia. He took over Pacific Air Forces from acting commander Jerry Martínez on 26 July 2018.

Brown has commanded a fighter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and two fighter wings. Prior to his current assignment, he served as director, operations, strategic deterrence, and nuclear integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe—Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He is a command pilot with more than 2,900 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.

In 2012, the Texas Tech Alumni Association declared Brown a "Distinguished Graduate" of Texas Tech University.

In 1994, Brown earned a master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Brown's active duty career began in 1985, when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. He is a brother of the Eta Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.

1. May 1985 – April 1986, student, undergraduate pilot training, 82nd Student Squadron, Williams AFB, Ariz. 2. May 1986 – July 1986, student, lead-in fighter training, 434th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Holloman, AFB, N.M. 3. August 1986 – March 1987, student, F-16 training, 62nd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla. 4. April 1987 – October 1988, F-16 pilot, 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea 5. November 1988 – April 1991, F-16 instructor pilot, wing electronic combat officer, and wing standardization and evaluation flight examiner, 307th and 308th Tactical Fighter Squadrons, Homestead AFB, Fla. 6. April 1991 – August 1991, student, U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev. 7. August 1991 – August 1992, F-16 squadron weapons officer and flight commander, 307th Fighter Squadron, Homestead AFB, Fla. 8. September 1992 – October 1994, weapons school instructor, and standardization and evaluation flight examiner, F-16 Division, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev. 9. October 1994 – July 1996, aide-de-camp to the Chief of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va. 10. August 1996 – June 1997, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 11. June 1997 – September 1997, student, Armed Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Va. 12. September 1997 – November 1999, air operations officer, Current Operations Division, Operations Directorate, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. 13. November 1999 – June 2003, F-16CJ instructor pilot and assistant operations officer, 79th Fighter Squadron; weapons and training flight commander, 20th Operations Support Squadron; operations officer, 55th Fighter Squadron; and Commander, 78th Fighter Squadron, Shaw AFB, S.C. 14. July 2003 – June 2004, National Defense Fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Va. 15. June 2004 – June 2005, Deputy Chief, Program Integration Division, Directorate of Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va. 16. July 2005 – May 2007, Commandant, USAF Weapons School, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev. 17. May 2007 – May 2008, Commander, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea 18. June 2008 – May 2009, Director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va. 19. June 2009 – April 2011, Commander, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano AB, Italy 20. May 2011 – May 2013, Deputy Director, Operations Directorate, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. 21. May 2013 – February 2014, Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command; Deputy, Combined Force Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia 22. March 2014 – June 2015, Director, Operations, Strategic Deterrence, and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, Ramstein AB, Germany 23. June 2015 – July 2016 Commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command; Combined Force Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia 24. July 2016 – July 2018, Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. 25. July 2018 – present, Commander, Pacific Air Forces; Air Component Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; and Executive Director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii

At the time of his promotion to brigadier general, Brown was commander of the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base in Italy.