The United States Senate has confirmed General Charles Q. Brown to be the next Air Force chief of staff, making him the first African American leader of the military service. The confirmation also makes Brown the second African American officer to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff since General Colin Powell. He is replacing Gen. David Goldfein who is expected to retire in the summer. The 98-to-nil vote was a blowout approval for the four-star general. Vice President Mike Pence presided over the historic vote. President Donald Trump, who nominated Brown in March, hailed the general on Twitter. There have been waves of protests across the United States and other countries over the past two weeks sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man killed while in Minneapolis police custody after an allegation that he had used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes. The military has been doing a mixture of damage control and soul-searching on race amid the protests, as Republican President Donald Trump sent in the National Guard to control demonstrations and threatened to deploy active-duty troops against U.S. citizens. Brown recounted his experiences in an emotional video, speaking of how during his Air Force career he was often the only African American in my squadron or, as a senior officer, the only African American in the room and of wearing the same flight suit with wings pinned on his chest as his squadron yet being asked if he was a pilot. He expressed hope that his confirmation would make a positive difference after centuries of racism in the United States. “I am thinking about how I can make improvements, personally, professionally and institutionally so that all airmen, both today and tomorrow, appreciate the value of diversity and can serve in an environment where they can reach their full potential,” Mr. Brown said.