Pentagon shakeup: Trump fires Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed General CQ Brown Jr., the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a major shake-up of his administration.

Brown’s removal is part of Trump’s broader plan to reshape the federal government, which includes cutting up to 10% of the federal workforce, according to NBC News.

“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Brown, a fighter pilot, became the second Black officer to serve as Joint Chiefs chairman after Gen. Colin Powell (1989-1993). He was appointed to the role by President Joe Biden in October 2023.

‘See you in court’: Trump, governor spar over trans rights

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Brown on Friday evening to inform him of his termination, a defense official confirmed. The conversation was cordial, and Brown was traveling domestically at the time.

Hegseth had previously indicated in a November interview on the “Shawn Ryan Show” that he intended to fire Brown, accusing him of promoting a “woke” military agenda.

Trump Names Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as Replacement

Trump has nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to replace Brown. He described Caine as “an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a warfighter with significant interagency and special operations experience.”

Caine has held key military roles, including Associate Director for Military Affairs at the CIA. He was also part of Operation Inherent Resolve (2018-2019), a special operations mission against ISIS in Iraq.