US President Donald Trump fired general CQ Brown as the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and announced his nomination of Air Force lieutenant general Dan 'Razin' Caine to take on the post.
In a post on TruthSocial, President Trump thanked general Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for over 40 years of service to the country and wished him and his family well for the future.
According to the US Department of Defense, general CQ Brown was appointed to be the 21st chairman of the joint chiefs of staff on October 1, 2023. Prior to becoming chairman, general Brown served as the 22nd chief of staff of the US Air Force.
The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff is the nation's highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to the President, secretary of defence, and National Security Council.
Brown was only the second black general to serve as chairman, and had been dealing with the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East over his tenure.
Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth had criticised Brown in one of his books, questioning if he was given the role of chairman because of his skin colour.
{{/usCountry}}Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth had criticised Brown in one of his books, questioning if he was given the role of chairman because of his skin colour.
{{/usCountry}}“Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We’ll never know, but always doubt — which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn’t really much matter,” Hegseth wrote.
Trump announces LG Caine as chairman pick
Trump also announced his nomination of Lieutenant General Dan Caine to take over Brown's position.
He said, “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.”
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In the post, Trump praised Razin for defeating ISIS during Donald Trump's first presidential term in record time.
Trump also 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!”
The US President stated that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, General Caine and the armed forces under his administration would “restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military.”
He stated that he had directed defense secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions which would be announced soon.