General CQ Brown, Jr. to Headline FPRI’s 70th Anniversary Celebration

• June 10, 2025

The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) will present its 19th Annual Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Service to General CQ Brown, Jr. during its 70th Anniversary Celebration on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, in Philadelphia. 

General CQ Brown, Jr. served as the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council. He retired from the US Air Force after nearly 40 years of dedicated service, having previously served as the 22nd Chief of Staff of the US Air Force and becoming the first African American service chief in US military history.

“Throughout his four decades of service, General Brown championed bold thinking to modernize the US Air Force,” said FPRI President Aaron Stein. “It is an honor to present General Brown with the Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Service as FPRI celebrates this milestone.” 

General Brown earned his commission in 1984 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Originally planning a career as an Air Force engineer, a T-37 incentive flight inspired him to become a pilot. Over the course of his career, he became a command pilot, accumulating over 3,100 flying hours—primarily in the F-16, including 130 combat hours—and also flew 20 additional fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

He led and deployed in support of multiple operations, commanding at every level—including a fighter squadron, the US Air Force Weapons School, and two fighter wings. As Deputy Commander of US Central Command and a two-time Air Component Commander at US Air Forces Central Command and Pacific Air Forces, he gained extensive experience in coalition airpower and global joint operations. 

FPRI’s Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Service is awarded each year to an American whose service as a statesperson, sage, or soldier best exemplifies the ideals of Benjamin Franklin and the United States. Dr. Henry A. Kissinger was the first honoree, other past honorees include Gen. James Mattis, General H.R. McMaster, Ash Carter, Anne Applebaum, Phebe Novakovic, and Jared Issacman. 

 

Event details to follow.