The blockage is over. The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed General Charles Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, one of hundreds of nominations by a Republican senator opposed to abortion.
This African-American general, who calls himself by his initials “CQ”, was presented in May by President Joe Biden as a “warrior” endowed with the greatest military qualities but also mobilized against racism.
He will become the second African-American to serve as chief of staff of the armed forces, after Colin Powell from 1989 to 1993 and will be under the orders of a Minister of Defense who is also black: Lloyd Austin.
The validation of his nomination, approved by 83 votes to 11, was blocked, like more than 300 others, by Senator Tommy Tuberville, a strong wind against a Pentagon policy favorable to access to abortion for female soldiers.
Haunted by the death of George Floyd
Born into a military family in San Antonio, Texas, CQ Brown started as a fighter pilot and worked his way up. He had been the head of the US Air Force for three years, having previously commanded the Air Force in the Pacific. He will replace General Mark Milley when the latter retires on September 29. Appointed by Donald Trump, Milley embodied resistance to the Republican president, particularly after the contested 2020 presidential election.
Committed to the fight against racism, General Brown was deeply affected by the death of George Floyd. In an official video, he expressed his “strong emotion for what happened to George Floyd and all African-Americans who suffered the same strong emotion. »
“Internal division”
Blocked all summer, his confirmation was greeted with relief by the political class. US defense officials have repeatedly warned of the negative repercussions of this delay in validating appointments.
The general. Milley told AFP last month that the situation could give adversaries the “erroneous” impression that the United States was in a situation of “internal division, instability, confusion and friction at the highest levels.” level of (their) army”.