The US Senate has unanimously confirmed General Charles Brown Junior as chief of staff of the US Air Force, making him the first black officer to lead one of the nation's military services.
Vice President Mike Pence took the unusual step of presiding over the vote, something he usually does to break ties. But Brown's confirmation, 98-0, was not close. Pence called the moment "historic."
The vote came as the Trump administration and the mostly white Senate Republican conference grapple with the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
Protests have convulsed the nation alongside the coronavirus pandemic, with racial discrimination being the common thread between them. The vote in Washington overlapped with Mr Floyd's funeral in Houston.
Mr Brown most recently served as the commander of US Pacific Air Forces. He is a fighter pilot, with more than 2900 flying hours, including 130 in combat.
He posted a video on social media on Friday describing a lifetime of dealing with racial bias and the struggle to fit in to a predominantly white society.
"I'm thinking about my Air Force career where I was often the only African American in my squadron or, as a senior officer, the only African American in the room," he said in a raw tone.
"I'm thinking about wearing the same flight suit with the same wings on my chest as my peers and being questioned by another military member: 'Are you a pilot?"'
President Donald Trump cheered the confirmation in a tweet.
"A historic day for America! Excited to work even more closely with Gen. Brown, who is a Patriot and Great Leader!" he wrote.
Nineteen percent of active-duty enlisted troops in the US are black, but they make up only 9 per cent of the officer corps.
Of those, there are just 71 who are general or flag officers, wearing one to four stars, including only two who have attained the top four-star rank.
