In an unprecedented decision, General Charles “CQ” Brown Jr, the president of the joint staff chiefs, and the allowance Lisa Franchetti, the best admiral of the navy, were dismissed from their posts by President Donald Trump, marking the first time that two of the members of the heads of joint staff had been dismissed from their high-level military posts.
As a retired military officer, Caine will be brought back into active service and will have to be confirmed by the Senate in order to assume the role of the principal military adviser to the president and the country’s first military officer.
Caine retired after having served 34 years in the Air Force where he was F-16 driver, the general assistant commanding to the joint command of special operations and the associate director of the Central Affairs Agency Military Affairs.
“I would like to thank Brown General Charles’ CQ” for his more than 40 years of service to our country, including as the current president of joint staff heads, “said Trump on his social account of truth. “He is a good gentleman and an exceptional leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”
Lieutenant-General Dan Caine is seen in this American photo of the Air Force.
US Air Force
As president of the heads of joint staff, Brown became the president’s main military adviser in October 2023 and was to finish a four-year term in late September 2027. He was the second African-American to play in the role and The Franchettis were the first woman to serve as the best admiral of the navy.
The role of the president is intended to be apolitical and, by conception, the four -year mandate of the president rides the years of presidential election, which means that someone who occupies the role could play in two different presidential administrations.
Trump as president has the power to withdraw the generals and senior officers from their positions and reallocate them, but if they are forced to leave a role, the officers may not find another opening at their disposal.
“Today, I am honored to announce that I note the Lieutenant-General of the Air Force Dan ‘Razin’ Caine as the next president of the chiefs of joint staff,” wrote Trump. “General Caine is an accomplished pilot, a national security expert, a successful entrepreneur and a” fighter “with an important special and operational operational experience”.
“During my first mandate, Razin played a decisive role in the complete annihilation of the Islamic State caliphate,” said Trump, repeating the praise of general three stars he had placed since his first mandate after the ‘Having met during a visit to the American military troops in Iraq.
“It was done in record time, a few weeks,” said Trump. “Many so-called military geniuses” said it would take years to overcome the Islamic State. General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered. “”
“Although it is highly qualified and respected to sit on joint staff chiefs during the previous administration, General Caine was sent for the promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden,” said Trump. “But no longer now! Alongside secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our soldiers will restore peace by force, will put America first and rebuild our soldiers.”
Defense officials told ABC News that the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, called Brown and Franchetti to inform them that they were withdrawn from their posts. At the time, Brown and Franchetti traveled outside Washington, Brown after finishing a visit to American military troops on the southern border with Mexico, and on the way to California to connect with Franchetti where the two had to participate at a conference.
Hegseth later declared in a press release that he would request candidates to replace the Franchetti; General James Slife, vice-chief of the Air Force; And the judge advocates the general of the army, the navy and the Air Force.
Earlier this week, Brown and Franchetti appeared on a list of generals and admirals provided by the Trump administration to the Republicans of Congress that HegSeth was planning to draw or withdraw their positions.
“General Caine embodies the philosophy of war charger and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I can’t wait to work with him,” HegSeth said in a statement published after Trump’s announcement.
“The outgoing president, General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown, Jr., USAF, has distinguished in a career covering four decades of honorable services,” said Hegseth. “I knew him as a thoughtful advisor and praised him for his distinguished service in our country.
“Under President Trump, we set up a new leadership that will focus our soldiers on his main deterrent mission, to fight against and win wars,” he added.
In a press release provided to ABC News Slife said that “the president and the defense secretary deserve to have generals in whom they trust and that force deserves to have generals who have credibility with our elected officials and named. “
“Although I am disappointed to go under these circumstances, I would not want the result to be different,” said Slife. “I wish the president and aviators of the USAF the best when they serve our nation in difficult times.”
The abolition of some of the country’s highest military officers aroused criticism from a former member of the joint staff heads.
“Our soldiers have accepted the principle of civil control of the military for 236 years. What may seem an arcanic principle for most Americans, is essential to healthy relations and civil military who stimulate effective decision -making of national security” , said the retired general. George Casey, a former staff chief of the army, told ABC News in a statement.
“The agents dismissed to follow the directives of the previous civil directorate of the Ministry of Defense will undermine this principle and are not completely necessary. Changing politics, not the people,” he added.
Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, thanked Brown “for his decades of honorable services to our nation” and expressed his confidence that “Hegseth and President Trump will select a qualified successor and capable for the critical position of the critical position President of the joint staff chiefs.
Senator Jack Reed, the committee’s classification democrat, said that he was “disturbed by the nature of these layoffs” and said they seemed to “be part of a wider campaign premeditated by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to serve talented officers for politically accused reasons, which would undermine the professionalism of our soldiers and send a scary message to the ranks.
Brown was appointed to be the first Air Force black chief of staff by Trump in his first mandate in early 2020.
However, he received criticism from Hegseth during his confirmation of defense secretary, as well as Trump after his electoral victory in 2024.
The names of Brown and Franchetti appeared on a list circulating via republican offices at the Pentagon senior officials that HegSeth was planning to have removed their positions.
“First of all, you must dismiss the president of the joint chiefs,” said Hegseth during an appearance in November on the “Shawn Ryan Show”.
“But any general who was involved-general, admiral, whatever-who was involved in one of the Dei Woke S — must leave,” he continued. “Either you are for war fights, and that’s it. This is the only decisive test that interests us.”
“We will never know, but we will always doubt-which seems unfair to CQ,” he wrote in his book “War on warriors”. “But as he made the race card one of his biggest call cards, it really doesn’t have much.”
Hegseth also questioned Franchetti’s qualifications to be the best admiral in the navy.
In the same book, he wrote: “If naval operations suffer, at least we can stand up high. Because at least we have another first! The first woman member of the chiefs of staff joints – Hourra. “
