General Charles Q. Brown


Military Background

Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 685,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President.

Gen. Brown was commissioned in 1984 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Texas Tech University. He has served in a variety of positions at the squadron and wing levels, including an assignment to the U.S. Air Force Weapons School as an F-16 Fighting Falcon Instructor. His notable staff tours include Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force; Director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Executive Action Group; and Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command. He also served as a National Defense Fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Virginia.

Gen. Brown has commanded a fighter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, two fighter wings and U.S. Air Forces Central Command. Prior to serving as the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Brown was the commander of Pacific Air Forces, Air Component Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Education

  • 1984 Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock
  • 1991 U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
  • 1992 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  • 1994 Master of Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla.
  • 1997 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  • 2000 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  • 2004 National Defense Fellow, Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, Va.
  • 2008 Air Force Senior Leadership Course, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
  • 2012 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  • 2014 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
  • 2015 Pinnacle Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
  • 2017 Leadership at the Peak, Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado Springs, Colo.