US President Donald Trump abruptly fired air force general CQ Brown as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff on Saturday. The move is part of Trump’s broader effort to purge military leadership that advocates for diversity and equity within the ranks.
Brown was the second Black general to serve as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, is expected to reverberate through the Pentagon.
During his 16-month tenure, Brown played a key role in addressing the war in Ukraine and the escalating conflict in the Middle East, making his abrupt removal all the more significant.
“I want to thank General Charles “CQ” Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
He further nominated air force lieutenant general Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
“Today, I am honored to announce that I am nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience. During my first term, Razin was instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate. It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. Many so-called military “geniuses” said it would take years to defeat ISIS. General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered,” he said.
“Despite being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the previous administration, General Caine was passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden. But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military. Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.