President Trump on Friday said he is firing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown, while Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti was also removed from her post, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.
The two moves, along with other changes announced by the Pentagon on Friday evening, represent a swift, remarkable shakeup atop the U.S. military.
In a Truth Social post, Mr. Trump said he is appointing Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine for the chairman’s post following the firing of Gen. Brown, who assumed his role as the nation’s top uniformed officer in October 2023.
“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,” Mr. Trump 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,” he said “General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a ‘warfighter’ with significant interagency and special operations experience.”
The president has the authority to remove a Joint Chiefs chairman. But doing so before their four-year term expires is quite rare.
Minutes after Mr. Trump’s social media post, Mr. Hegseth announced additional changes at the highest ranks of the U.S. military, including the removal of Adm. Franchetti, who assumed her role in November 2023. Mr. Hegseth said that Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife is also being removed from his position.
The Defense Department is also seeking new judge advocates general for the Army, Navy and Air Force, Mr. Hegseth said. Judge advocates general are the heads of the military justice system for each military service branch.
In his statement, Mr. Hegseth praised the nomination of Gen. Caine.
“Gen. Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I look forward to working with him,” the defense secretary said.
“The outgoing Chairman, Gen. Charles ‘CQ’ Brown, Jr., USAF, has served with distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service. I have come to know him as a thoughtful adviser and salute him for his distinguished service to our country,” Mr. Hegseth said. “Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars.”
The changes announced Friday night represent a stunning, rapid change in Pentagon leadership.
There had been speculation in national security circles that Gen. Brown could be fired, especially given past comments by Mr. Hegseth that were critical of him because of what critics said was his support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs inside the Defense Department.
The Trump administration is seeking to dismantle such initiatives across the federal government.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.