Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin speaks with Air Force and Space Force ROTC cadets and newly commissioned officers at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., July 14, 2023. (U.S. Air Force/Eric Dietrich)
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has nominated Air Force Gen. David Allvin as the next chief of staff of the Air Force, according to a Senate notice submitted Tuesday.
Allvin would succeed Gen. CQ Brown as the service’s top uniformed officer, if confirmed. Brown was nominated by Biden in May to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Allvin’s nomination was first reported by Politico.
Currently the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Allvin was seen by many as the front runner for the post and Brown’s preferred candidate. Prior to his current role, he served on the Joint Staff as its director for strategy, plans and policy. He started his career in the Air Force as a cargo pilot after graduating from the Air Force Academy, according to his service biography.
He would helm the Air Force as its top uniformed officer at a pivotal time for the service, which is seeking to offload its aging weapon systems and pivot to the next generation of air power. His term as chief would run four years, which would fall within the 2027 timeframe that some officials have warned could see China attempt to invade Taiwan.
Allvin’s nomination comes the same day Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney was tapped for the Corps No. 2 position, and rounds out Biden’s picks for a number of empty spots on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
However, Allvin’s nomination is likely to crawl, rather than rush, forward, thanks to an ongoing hold on all military promotions by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. That hold has already resulted in the Marine Corps spot on the Joint Chiefs being filled only in an acting capacity.
Brown’s nomination itself is held up as a result of the hold, though his and others could be advanced by a more time-consuming floor vote in the Senate.
MILSATCOM for the most critical no-fail missions
With multiple nuclear-capable threats and space itself being a contested domain, assured and protected MILSATCOM are more critical than ever before.
The terror of war, a helo crash mystery and the business of defense: 5 Middle East stories from 2024
From eye-witness accounts of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon to a rare appearance of Iranian weapons at a foreign arms expo, there’s a selection of Breaking Defense’s Middle East coverage.
