Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown sworn in as the next Air Force chief of staff

Vice President Mike Pence swore in the first African-American Air Force chief of staff on Tuesday.

Published: August 5, 2020 10:19am

Updated: August 6, 2020 10:53am

Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown was sworn in Tuesday as the next Air Force chief of staff.

Brown is the first African-American Air Force chief of staff in United States history.

Brown will officially take command of the Air Force as its 22nd chief of staff in a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday morning. Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein will retire at the ceremomy, according to the Air Force Times.

Vice President Mike Pence swore in Brown at a White House ceremony.

"It was my honor to formally swear-in General Charles Q. Brown, the first African-American military service chief in American History," Pence tweeted. "President @realDonaldTrump & I have every confidence our Air Force will only grow stronger under General Brown's leadership!"

Trump congratulated Brown for achieving the "capper" on his "incredible career" and quipped that his 98–0 confirmation vote in the Senate was "an achievement."

The White House Twitter page also tweeted: "General Charles Brown, Jr., was formally sworn in today as the next chief of staff of the @usairforce!"