Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffAir Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the nation's highest-ranking military officer and the principal military advisor to the president, the secretary of defense and the National Security Council.

About

Before becoming the 21st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. served as chief of staff of the Air Force. He was commander of Pacific Air Forces before that, and 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. Commissioned in 1984 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Texas Tech University, Brown is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.

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Joint Chiefs of Staff

Established in January 1942 to expedite strategic coordination during World War II, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been at the center of U.S. military planning ever since.

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Office of the Secretary of Defense

Top civilian defense decision-makers work with the secretary to develop policy, operational and fiscal plans, manage resources and evaluate programs.