Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the nation’s high navy officer, is an skilled US Air Force fighter pilot who has surmounted many challenges in his practically 40-year profession, together with as soon as having to eject and land within the Florida Everglades, an expertise that earned him the decision signal “Swamp Thing.”
“I did not see any gators, in order that was good,” Brown stated with a smile as he recounted the incident to ABC News “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz in an unique interview that aired Sunday, by which Brown appeared again at his work thus far — and what’s forward.
“That should have been fairly the expertise,” Raddatz informed Brown as she requested about what he lived by means of as a younger captain in January 1991, when the F-16 he was flying over Florida caught on fireplace after being struck by lightning.
“Slightly bit,” the overall replied. “But all of your coaching kicks in and the guidelines says if fireplace persists — eject. It was a reasonably straightforward resolution.”
Brown continued to rise by means of the ranks, assuming the Air Force’s high jobs within the Middle East and the Pacific after which changing into the Air Force chief of employees earlier than being nominated by President Joe Biden final 12 months to function chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was overwhelmingly confirmed in September.
There’s been a lot to do since then: Brown has labored virtually nonstop in coping with overlapping crises which have consumed the Middle East after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror assault on Israel sparked a warfare simply days after he took his new put up.
Martha Raddatz interviewed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. for ABC’s “This Week,” airing on Jan. 28, 2024.
Al Drago/ABC
‘A full-scale warfare?’
The United States has sought to include the Israel-Hamas warfare from mushrooming right into a regional battle. But that has grow to be extra of a problem as Iranian-backed fighters in Iraq, Syria and Yemen proceed to launch assaults on industrial vessels within the Red Sea and on American troops, citing help for Palestinians beneath bombardment in Gaza as Israel targets Hamas.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked greater than 150 occasions by Iranian-backed militia teams, in accordance with the Pentagon, and the Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have carried out greater than 30 assaults on industrial ships within the Red Sea.
That has prompted ongoing US retaliatory strikes on the Houthis and different fighters, however the assaults have continued, sparking questions and issues concerning the broader navy technique, in addition to some criticism from lawmakers that Congress just isn’t concerned.
Brown acknowledged that there’s a delicate steadiness to be struck between the US purpose of deterrence within the area whereas additionally defending US forces.
“We’ve bought to be considerate about our strategy in these areas, and we won’t predict precisely how any one in every of these teams goes to reply,” he stated.
“I’d additionally ask, what do they (critics of the present strategy) need? A broader battle? Do you need us in a full-scale warfare?” he stated.
Brown informed Raddatz the American airstrikes have “had an affect” on the Houthis’ capability to proceed finishing up missile and drone assaults, though he declined to say by how a lot.
The US strikes on Iranian-backed militia teams in Iraq have resulted in some political strain there for America’s decades-old navy presence within the nation to finish.
Brown believes that whereas Iran would love for the US to depart Iraq, he additionally doesn’t consider that Iran — a regional energy with main rivals within the Middle East, like Saudi Arabia — needs a warfare with the United States.
Martha Raddatz interviewed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. for ABC’s “This Week,” airing on Jan. 28, 2024.
Al Drago/ABC
On the Israel-Hamas warfare, for which the US is offering Israel numerous types of help, Brown stated that he’s in common contact along with his Israeli counterpart to emphasize the significance of stopping civilian casualties within the struggle towards Hamas.
The variety of Palestinian fatalities has risen to greater than 25,000, in accordance with figures launched by the Gaza Ministry of Health.
That excessive variety of casualties has fueled worldwide criticism of Israel’s warfare effort, whilst Israeli officers stress that they search methods to curb civilian deaths.
“What I’ve communicated to them from the very starting and thru my most up-to-date communications is (that) as you conduct navy operations, you have to be delicate to collateral injury,” Brown informed Raddatz. “And on the identical time, you have to herald humanitarian help.”
Focused ‘on doing my job,’ not Trump
Brown’s predecessor, Gen. Mark Milley, has spoken at size about his fraught relationship with former President Donald Trump, apologizing for a controversial photo-op on the peak of the George Floyd protests and seemingly referring to Trump as a “wannabe dictator” throughout his exit speech in September.
Trump has referred to Milley as a “traitor” as a result of Milley reached out to China in late 2020 and early 2021 to privately reassure them that the US was not going to assault, Milley has informed Congress. Trump prompt that it was an act, revealing the president’s pondering, the place beforehand “the punishment would have been demise.”
“When you hear issues like that, what do you suppose?” Raddatz requested on Sunday.
“I do not take heed to it,” stated Brown. “I’m targeted on doing my job.”
Raddatz additionally requested Brown what he discovered from Milley’s expertise with Trump that could possibly be useful if the previous president is reelected.
Brown stated he had spoken along with his predecessors and would take what he discovered from them and their experiences to “have the ability to function and help whoever the president could also be.”
“So you would not have issues about working beneath a president who thinks the election was stolen?” stated Raddatz.
“I’m going to work for the — no matter president will get elected,” Brown stated.
Reflecting on Floyd
Brown drew reward for a June 2020 video titled “Here’s what I’m excited about” that he launched in response to the nationwide protests and unrest sparked by Floyd’s homicide by a Minneapolis police officer.
In the extremely private video, Brown recounted his personal experiences with racism and his perspective as a Black man and Black navy chief.
“I’m excited about sporting the identical flight go well with, with the identical wings on my chest, as my friends after which being questioned by one other navy member,” Brown stated within the video.
“I’m excited about my mentors, and the way I not often had a mentor that appeared like me, he stated. “I’m excited about the strain I’ve felt to carry out error-free, particularly for supervisors I perceived had anticipated much less from me as an African American.”
In his interview on Sunday, Brown was requested concerning the video, “What actually drove you to do this?”
“My son,” he stated, choking up. “My son referred to as me about 4 days previous to that video. He was very a lot fighting the demise of George Floyd.”
Brown shared that his son had requested him what the Pacific Air Forces was going to say, which Brown took to imply what he would say publicly, since he was the highest US Air Force commander within the Pacific.
He informed Raddatz that he was torn about whether or not to say one thing, as he was nonetheless awaiting Senate affirmation to be the following Air Force chief of employees, however “then I simply determined to say it and if I did not get confirmed, so be it.” it.”
Now, practically 4 years later, Brown stated that he feels the nation nonetheless has room to vary.
“I believe all people needs to have a good shot,” he stated. “I do not need to be deprived or advantaged primarily based on my background.”
“I need to be judged primarily based by myself accomplishments, primarily based on my deserves, and given a possibility,” he stated.
“That’s what I’ve requested for all through my Air Force profession. And hopefully, you understand, I’m sitting on this chair because the chairman of the Joint Chiefs — not as a result of I’m African American — as a result of I’m a high quality officer,” he continued. “And that is what I need to be judged on.”