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President Biden appoints the famous general with the nickname "Creature of the Swamp" as Chief of Staff of the Army

2023-05-26 18:45:23Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
President Biden appoints the famous general with the nickname "Creature of
Joe Biden nominates four-star general Charles Quinton Brown Jr. for the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

President Joe Biden nominated four-star General Charles Quinton Brown Jr. to the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff consists of the chiefs of the six branches of the military: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, and Space Operations. General Brown is currently the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

The fighter pilot got his nickname 'Swamp Creature' from a 1991 incident when he was catapulted from a burning F-16 fighter jet over a national park in the state of Florida.

It was January and Captain CQ Brown Jr. he had to make a decision within seconds. Push the button and parachute into crocodile-infested wetlands.

"I hope there's nothing down there," was what she thought as she parachuted, as she confessed years later, in an interview during the Security Forum held in Aspen last year.

He sank into the mud, which covered his body. Since that event, he would be known among fellow pilots as the "Creature of the Swamp".

Mr Brown, now a four-star general and head of the Air Force, was nominated on Thursday by President Biden. If confirmed, he will replace General Mark Milley, whose term ends in October.

Mr. Brown has spent most of his career as one of the Air Force's top aviators. He was one of the few black pilots and often one of the only African Americans in his squadron.

During an Air Force Association conference held in Colorado this month, Mr. Brown said the principles that guide him in carrying out his duties are "to perform duties to a high standard, both personally and professionally."

"I don't compete for second place. If I'm in a race, I take it seriously. I enter to win, not to lose," he said.

Mr. Brown has often made history during his career. He was the first black commander of the Pacific Air Forces and most recently the first black chief of staff of the Air Force, making him the first African-American to head one of the branches of the military.

If confirmed, this development would mark history again, as it would be the first time that both of the Pentagon's top positions would be held by African Americans. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, an African-American, holds the top civilian post.

But Mr. Brown would not be the first African-American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon's top military post. It was the late General Colin Powell who made history by taking on this task.

President Biden appoints the famous general with the nickname "Creature of
Charles Quinton Brown Jr

Sixty-year-old Brown has commanded the country's air force at all levels. Born in San Antonio, he comes from a military family. His grandfather commanded a military unit of African-Americans in World War II, who were kept separate from the rest of the military. While his father served as an artillery officer and was a veteran of the Vietnam War. Mr. Brown grew up on several military bases in different states of the country, which instilled in him a sense of mission.

His appointment follows a four-decade military career that began with graduating with honors from Texas Tech University in 1984 to his appointment to the White House.

He was widely seen within military circles as the leading candidate for the job, with the right authority and a track record of leading institutional change. These attributes are seen as necessary to put the Pentagon on a more modern footing to deal with a rising China.

Over the past two years, Mr. Brown has promoted a campaign within the Air Force with the slogan "Accelerate, Change, or Lose." The campaign seems to focus mainly on China. It aims to push the branch of the military to phase out older fighter jets and accelerate efforts to counter hypersonic aircraft, drones and space weapons, with which the US military's Cold War-era inventory does not match.

Personally, Mr. Brown is known as a reserved, thoughtful and discreet person. In contrast, General Milley is known for his no-nonsense speech, which has often been in response to former President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.

"He (Brown) is not inclined to say something without thinking it through, weighing all the options," says retired Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, who knows Mr. Brown, who from the time he was one of the leaders of this force.

Mr. Brown has over 3,000 flight hours on his record and has served several times at the Air Force Weapons School, an elite school similar to the Navy's TOPGUN school. Only about 1% of Air Force pilots are accepted into this school, says General Moseley.

Gjate forumit të Aspenit zoti Brown tha se ngjarja e vitit 1991 ishte një moment shumë delikat.

“Isha disa i irrituar pasi ndodhi pikërisht përpara se të bëheshin përzgjedhjet për në shkollën e armatimeve”, tha ai në forumin e Aspenit. Ai tha se iu desh të aplikonte tre herë përpara se ta pranonin, duke vënë në dukje se “ka konkurencë të lartë”.

Por ai arriti të dalë në krye edhe në këtë shkollë dhe u bë instruktor, “gjë që arrihet nga vetëm 1% e 1%-shit”, tha Gjenerali Moseley.

Zoti Brown u rikthye më vonë në këtë shkollë si komandant i saj. Shkolla ishte shndërruar në atë kohë nga një institucion për mësimdhënien e operacioneve luftarake të ajrit, në mësimdhënie për operacione të kombinuara me tanke, avionë bombardues dhe transportues.

Zoti Brown kuptoi se shkollës “i duhej një përqasje tjetër”, tha Gjenerali në pension i Forcave Ajrore Bill Rew. Komandantët e mëparshëm ishin përpjekur më parë të zbatonin një moto të re: “të përulur, të afrueshëm, të besueshëm”, por ajo nuk kishte zënë vend.

Nën drejtimin e zotit Brown, ndryshimi kulturor zuri vend dhe vazhdon edhe sot, tha zoti Rew, që kishte qenë ndër instruktorët e zotit Brown në shkollën e armatimeve dhe komandant skuadriljeje gjatë periudhës në detyrë të zotit Brown si komandant.

“Kjo kërkonte një lloj aftësie drejtuese që nuk e bën të detyrueshëm ndryshimin kulturor për njerëzit, por që e shpjegon atë dhe i motivon ata për arsyet përse ky ndryshim është i rëndësishëm”, tha zoti Rew.

Në qershor 2020, zoti Brown gjendej vetëm një javë pranë konfirmimit nga Senati për t’u bërë shef shtabi i Forcave Ajrore, kur ai ndjeu nevojën për të folur për vrasjen e George Floyd-it.

Ishte e rrezikshme dhe një moment jo i përshtatshëm që gjenerali të tërhiqte vëmendje publike dhe të shprehte publikisht mendimet e tij personale. Por sidoqoftë ai e bëri këtë, pasi diskutoi me bashkëshorten dhe djemtë e tij për vrasjen dhe krijoi bindjen se duhej të thoshte diçka.

Në një mesazh me video të drejtuar ushtarakëve në qershor 2020, të titulluar “Ja çfarë unë mendoj”, zoti Brown përshkroi se si e kishte shtrënguar veten “për të vepruar pa asnjë gabim” si pilot dhe si oficer gjatë gjithë jetës së tij, por se prapë ishte përballur me paragjykime. Ai tha se kishin vënë në dyshim aftësitë e tij, edhe kur kishte qenë i veshur me të njëjtën uniformë piloti si kolegët e tjerë.

Kanë kaluar 30 vjet që kur zoti Powell u bë shefi i parë afrikano-amerikan i shefave të shtabit të forcave të armatosura të Shteteve të Bashkuara, detyrë në të cilën shërbeu gjatë periudhës 1989-1993. Por ndërsa afrikano-amerikanët janë 17.2% e totalit prej 1.3 milionë ushtarakësh në shërbim aktiv, vetëm 9% e oficerëve janë afrikano-amerikanë, thuhet në një raport të vitit 2021 të Departamentit të Mbrojtjes.

"I thought about those who have advised me and how rarely I ran into one who looked like me," Mr Brown said in his video.

“My appointment offers some hope, but it also comes with a heavy burden — I cannot undo centuries of racism in our country, nor can I undo decades of discrimination that may have affected members of our Air Force. I think about how I can make improvements, personally, professionally and institutionally," so that all members of the Air Force can excel, he said.

The decision to speak openly did not bring consequences. The vote in the Senate for his confirmation was 98 to 0.

But like that brief moment in Aspen, the personal video message was a rarity. After the confirmation, he lowered his public profile again and got down to business. /VOA


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