Trump fires Air Force Gen. CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
President Trump on Friday night abruptly fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., in a major shake-up of Pentagon leadership.
And the president just as quickly named his pick to replace Brown – Air Force Lt. General Dan “Razin” Caine, who served as the associate director of military affairs for the CIA from 2021 to 2024.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” the president said.
Just hours before his sudden dismissal, Brown was touring the southern border according to posts on social media.
Brown served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the last 16 months and was only the second black general to hold the vaunted post.
The general was seen in mid-December at the Army-Navy football game seated next to then president-elect Trump.
Trump named Caine, a former F-16 pilot, as his nominee to succeed Brown in the same Friday night Truth Social post.
Caine will need to be confirmed by the Senate as is customary with all new military leaders.
“General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience,” Trump wrote.
The commander in chief also credited Caine with the “complete annihilation” of the ISIS caliphate which occurred during the president’s first term.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth celebrated the nomination of Caine as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“General Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I look forward to working with him,” Hegseth said in a statement, which also honored Brown.
However, Hegseth previously had harsh words for Brown.
“First of all, you gotta fire, you know, you gotta fire the chairman of Joint Chiefs” Hegseth said in a podcast in November.
Hegseth also questioned how Brown got the job in one of his books, according to the Associated Press.
“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.
Despite these criticisms, Hegseth gave Brown a nod of approval after a face to face meeting late last month, according to the Washington Examiner.
Brown wasn’t the only senior military officer ousted on Friday night.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Jim Slife were also fired, Hegseth said in the statement.
With Post wires
