Presidents often start building a Pentagon to their liking shortly after taking office. That the present commander-in-chief would do the same should be no surprise. So, when President Donald Trump gave Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General C.Q. Brown his walking papers, it was the inevitable management action of a new executive who wants a Department of Defense (DOD) in line with his national security vision. Trump is not interested in the touchy-feely, faux-warrior presence of the woke world of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As one of the proponents of DEI in the military, Brown’s presence as the leader of the uniformed military was inconsistent with both the president’s and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s worldview.
There was little doubt in anyone’s mind that what DOD Secretary Hegseth found in the Pentagon would not be changed dramatically. Hegseth’s message to the troops sent on the day he took office was unambiguous that what he saw as an organization that had lost its way would not stay that way. As the saying goes, “A new broom sweeps clean.” So, if the current leaders champion an ideology that is antipathy to the unity, warrior ethos, and teamwork that Trump and Hegseth want to return to the military, they have to go. Not to get hung up on adages, but “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” Therefore, get rid of the yeast.
To that end, President Trump, in a Friday evening post on Truth Social, announced he was replacing Chairman Brown. “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. “He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.” He then told his social media followers he was replacing Brown with retired three-star Lieutenant General John D. (Dan) Caine. Trump explained:
“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.”
President Trump met General Caine during his first term in office and was impressed with the warfighter’s confidence that US forces could defeat quickly the ISIS enemy in Iraq and surrounding areas. “During my first term, Razin was instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS califate. It was done in record-setting time, a matter of weeks…and he delivered.” Additionally, in explaining his choice of Caine as the new chairman, “Trump said Caine’s appointment comes after he was overlooked for advancement during former President Joe Biden’s presidency,” the Daily Caller reported. The personnel change at the top echelon of the military was not the only leadership adjustment.
In a press release, Secretary of Defense Hegseth let it be known he was “requesting nominations for the positions of Chief of Naval Operations [CNO] and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff.” That’s the public notice that Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Air Force General James Slife were relieved of their duties. Franchetti was heralded as the first woman to lead the Navy, but her readiness and lethal force-building accomplishments in that position were not remarkable. During her tenure, the Navy was criticized for its lack of shipbuilding capability and cost overruns on the ships being built. Additionally, recent incidents like the friendly fire shoot down of a US Navy F/A-18EF fighter in the Red Sea and the collision between the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and a smaller merchant ship further eroded confidence in Franchetti that she was creating a warfighting culture in the sea service.
Slife’s removal was more directly related to his embrace of the Biden DEI culture. While serving as Air Force Special Operations Command commander, “Lt. Gen. Jim Slife told his airmen, ‘I urge you to highlight specific issues of racial disparity you might find in your workplace to your unit leadership or chain of command…This is too important for us to get it wrong or for a voice of one of our airmen to go unheard,” the North West Florida Daily News reported. The general encouraging his subordinates to rat out their fellow airmen is not a good look. It also isn’t one of the leadership qualities consistent with the cohesive warfighting lethality and readiness Hegseth wants to achieve. Some will say that he was following the imperative of his senior leadership. That may be true; however, if he didn’t believe in what he was saying, why say it? There is a point where being the “good soldier” must give way to personal conviction. If a leader does not believe in what his superiors are ordering, he must resign or own what he says.
Somewhat surprising was that the defense secretary also requested that the Army, Navy, and Air Force Military Departments nominate candidates for their respective Judge Advocate Generals. Those are the chief lawyers in each of the service branches. Why would the Defense Secretary want to replace the military departments’ legal team leadership?
One reason is that with the minute-by-minute litigious onslaught of the progressive liberal malcontents attempting to derail the president’s agenda that 77+ million voters wanted, Trump and Hegseth want a legal team in the services on which they can rely for the best legal representation. The service judge advocate generals and civilian general counsels represent the military departments and the Defense Department in all legal suits brought against the organizations. You can see why the Trump administration would want to get out in front of the legal attacks with the best lawyers of their choosing.
Getting the administration’s team in place is historically consistent with previous administrations. President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth will have to meet head-on domestic and foreign threats that are manifest and daunting. They are setting about putting in a national security team that can do the job.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.