By Rachel S. Cohen for AirforceMag.com Newswire

Senators confirmed Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the first black military service chief in American history in a 98-0 vote June 9.

Brown, the decorated four-star general in charge of Pacific Air Forces, will begin his four-year term as Air Force Chief of Staff once he is sworn in on Aug. 6. His confirmation comes as the military responds to nationwide protests over police brutality and systemic racism, spurred by George Floyd’s death in Minnesota last month.

“There is no one I know who is better prepared to be Chief of Staff, no one who has the experience and the temperament to lead the Air Force,” said Gen. David Goldfein, the service’s current top uniformed official. “The Air Force and our nation will be in good hands under his leadership.”

Parochial concerns delayed the confirmation vote. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) held up Brown’s nomination to press the Air Force to base its new KC-46 tanker in his state, Defense News reported June 3. Sullivan reportedly dropped his formal hold after discus- sions with the Air Force.

Vice President Mike Pence presided over the unanimous vote. Dem- ocratic Sens. Ben Cardin of Maryland and Ed Markey of Massachusetts were absent.

As the 22nd Air Force Chief of Staff, Brown will inherit a 2020 budget of a $168 billion and about 685,000 employees. He has pledged to carry out the service’s sweeping modernization plan, continue fighting insurgents in the Middle East and Africa and pos- turing against Russia and China—all while adjusting to operations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, he opened the door to a review of the Air Force’s roles and missions, and said he would pursue new approaches to aircraft and personnel readiness.

Brown, who was nominated for the top job in March, has racked up more than 2,900 flight hours in more than a dozen aircraft, held leadership positions at U.S. Central Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Afri- ca. He’s also earned nearly 20 military decorations since the 1980s.

Growing up in a military fami- ly, his father served in the Vietnam War and retired as an Army colonel after 30 years of service.

As Chief of Staff, Brown’s priorities include pursuing joint all-do-main command and control, changing how the service works with the defense industry and non-traditional suppliers, using new technology to train Airmen, empowering commanders to make de- cisions, ensuring space superiority, and establishing flexible logistics.

“I see an emerging challenge where our strategic aspirations and our resources available may be on diver- gent paths driving future tough choices,” Brown wrote to the Senate Armed Services Committee. “As we review strategic objectives and priorities in the post-COVID-19 period, and continue the journey we started to build the Air Force we need to align with the NDS, we have many constraints and restraints that could hamper our ability to achieve our objectives as originally envisioned.”

Brown’s promotion to become the first African American Air Force Chief of Staff, and a rare black mem- ber of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, carries particular significance at the present time. He plans to build on diversity ini- tiatives already underway, said Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Col. Megan Schafer on June 3.