Gen. Brown Jr. assumes command of PACAF

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. was welcomed last week as the 35th commander of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).

The PACAF includes 46,000 airmen and covers more than 100 million square miles, extending from the nation’s west coast to the east coast of Africa and from the Arctic to the Antarctic.

“When it came time to pick the new PACAF commander, General Brown was the obvious choice,” Gen. Stephen W. Wilson, Air Force vice chief of staff, who presided over the installation ceremony, said. “He’s steeped in the critical role of strengthening our alliances and partnerships in order to deter aggression, maintain stability and ensure free access to global domains. He is a combat-proven leader, supporting multiple operations.”

Wilson said Brown gained perspective of the Air Force through his operational warfighting experiences and lenses.

“I have no doubt the Indo-Pacific will continue to have its share of challenges,” Brown said. “But every challenge provides an opportunity to demonstrate success or to strengthen a relationship. As INDOPACOM takes steps to implement the National Defense Strategy, PACAF, with its sister components, will have to continue to rethink how we think about the Indo-Pacific region. We will build upon a mature, agile combat employment and strategic shaping concepts so PACAF can provide combat-ready Airmen that contribute to a more lethal, more resilient and more rapidly innovative joint and combined force.”

Gen. T.J. O’Shaughnessy relinquished command of PACAF May 20 before becoming the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Northern Command in Colorado.