Washington, Feb. 23, ’25 (AP) President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer.
This is part of his defence secretary’s campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity in the ranks.
The ouster of Brown, the second black general to serve as chairman, will send shock waves through the Pentagon.
His 16 months on the job had been consumed with the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East.
“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 posted on social media.
Brown’s public support of Black Lives Matter had made him fodder for the administration’s wars against “wokeism” in the military. This was after the Police killing of George Floyd.
His ouster is the latest upheaval at the Pentagon, which plans to cut 5,400 civilian probationary workers starting next week.
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The Pentagon also identified $50 billion in programmes to cut next year to redirect those savings to fund Trump’s priorities.
Trump said he’s nominating retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine as the next chairman.
Caine is a career F-16 pilot, who served on active duty and in the National Guard.
He was most recently the associate director for military affairs at the CIA, according to his military biography.
However, Caine has not had key assignments identified in law as prerequisites for the job, including serving as either the vice chairman, a combatant commander or a service chief.
That requirement could be waived if the “president determines such action is necessary in the national interest”. (AP)
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