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General Mark Milley Is Retiring. Meet The Contenders To Replace Him As Biden's Top Adviser On Military Affairs
The Biden administration’s perception of China’s military designs will dictate his decision more than anything else, experts said. "I think General Berger would be more unflappable but that General Brown might be more inspirational," Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at Hudson Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Both contenders to replace Gen. Mark Milley as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff later this year are focused on change to counter China, but one is prone to radical changes while the other affirms the administration’s ideological priorities, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. With Milley, a Trump appointee, set to retire by October, President Joe Biden is expected to announce his pick to replace the outgoing Army four-star soon between top prospects Air Force chief of staff Gen. Charles Q. "C.Q." Brown and Marine Corps commandant Gen. David Berger, according to The New York Times. Both would differ from Milley’s gregarious leadership style, but while Brown has experience in a key area of operations and satisfies the Biden administration’s focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in public service, Berger has shown the grit to make radical, if difficult, changes necessary for coming great power conflict, according to defense experts and media reports. "As the symbol of the U.S. armed forces amid the ebb and flow of political tides, I think General Berger would be more unflappable but that General Brown might be more inspirational," Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at Hudson Institute, told the DCNF. Brown, a fighter pilot and the first African American to serve among the Joint Chiefs since Colin Powell became chairman three decades ago, is at the forefront of the race, the NYT reported, citing administration officials. Brown’s colleagues told the NYT he has seen success in dealing with threats and allies in the Pacific, and has a methodical approach. Berger, on the other hand, is a Marine infantryman and four-star general with more experience in the Middle East. But under his leadership, the Marine Corps has embarked on a massive restructuring that ruffled feathers across the joint force and, according to Berger, will make the force better positioned to address challenges specific to the Indo-Pacific theater. The Joint Chiefs chairman is "the foremost military advisor in the land, preparing American personnel and capabilities for conflict should deterrence fail" and instilling fear in potential adversaries, Cronin explained to the DCNF. Joint Chiefs chairmen typically rotate through the services; the last time an Air Force member filled the post was in 2005, while two Marines, two Army generals and a Navy admiral have served since, according to the NYT. Both men must make it through the Senate for confirmation. Related: David Berger: 2022-12-15 SECNAV Names Next Big Deck Amphib USS Fallujah David Berger: 2021-11-13 Marine Corps will reinvent itself 'to reflect America,' top general says David Berger: 2021-02-03 Top Marine General: We Need to Get Comfortable with 'Throwaway' Equipment Related: Mark Milley: 2023-04-06 CCP Praises Gen. Milley for Downplaying China's Threat to the U.S. Mark Milley: 2023-04-05 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: April 4th, 2023 Mark Milley: 2023-04-02 US boosts forces in Middle East following Iran attacks in NE Syria Posted by: 746 2023-04-10 |
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