In a unanimous vote, the Senate approved the nomination of U.S. Air For Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

According to Politico, the upper chamber of Congress confirmed Brown with an 83-11 vote despite Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s attempts to block this and more than 300 senior officers. Tuberville is protesting the Pentagon’s policy of “reimbursing troops who must travel to obtain abortions or other reproductive care.”

Brown’s nomination garnered bipartisan support as he’s set to replace Army Gen. Mark Milley who served in the seat since his nomination in 2019 and is planning to retire.

When Brown begins serving alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the country's top two Pentagon positions will be held by Black men for the first time in U.S. history.

Austin congratulated Brown on his confirmation in a statement  saying, "It is well past time to confirm the over 300 other military nominees."

Following his confirmation, Brown warned the Senate that they will lose out on the brightest candidates who want to advance in the military because of partisan politics.

“We have our more junior officers who now will look up and say, ‘If that’s the challenge I’m going to have to deal with in the future … I’m going to balance between my family and serving in a senior position,” Brown said. “And we will lose talent because of those challenges.”

After months of not allowing standalone votes on military nominees, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer finally called for votes on three of President Joe Biden’s Joint Chiefs to combat Tuberville’s blockade.

In a statement, Schumer said the Senate will proceed with votes and will not permit Tuberville to hold up any more confirmations.

“In the end, the Senate will overwhelmingly vote to overcome Senator Tuberville’s blockade of these three nominees, … and the abortion policy that Senator Tuberville abhors will remain in place,” Schumer said. “But the harm he is doing to the military and their families remains and, unfortunately, continues for hundreds of others.”

Tuberville doubled down on his position in a statement following the confirmation.

“To be clear, my hold is still in place. The hold will remain in place as long as the Pentagon’s illegal abortion policy remains in place,” he said. “If the Pentagon lifts the policy, then I will lift my hold. It’s easy as that.”

Brown brings a wealth of experience to his new position. Before becoming the first Black U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, Brown was the commander of the Pacific Air Forces, Air Component Commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

He’s a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, a Master of Aeronautical Science from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., and is a distinguished graduate of Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Ala.

As a command pilot, Brown has more than 3,000 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.

On Thursday, (September 28), the Senate will vote to confirm two of Biden’s other nominees,  Gen. Randy George to lead the Army and Gen. Eric Smith, to lead the Marines.