Trump Fires CQ Brown as Chairman

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President Donald Trump has fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a move that is sure to send shock waves through the Pentagon. Brown, the second Black general to serve as chairman, had been in the job for 16 months, during which time he had been consumed with the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East. His public support of Black Lives Matter after the police killing of George Floyd had made him a target for the administration's wars against "wokeism" in the military.

The ouster of Brown is the latest upheaval at the Pentagon, which plans to cut 5,400 civilian probationary workers starting next week and identify $50 billion in programs that could be cut next year to redirect those savings to fund Trump's priorities. Trump has nominated retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine to be the next chairman, a career F-16 pilot who served on active duty and in the National Guard, and was most recently the associate director for military affairs at the CIA. Caine's military service includes combat roles in Iraq, special operations postings, and positions inside some of the Pentagon's most classified special access programs.

However, Caine has not had key assignments identified in law as prerequisites for the job, including serving as either the vice chairman, as a combatant commander, or a service chief. That requirement could be waived if the president determines such action is necessary in the national interest. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a statement praising both Caine and Brown, announced the firings of two additional senior officers: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Jim Slife. Franchetti becomes the second top female military officer to be fired by the Trump administration, following the firing of Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan just a day after Trump was sworn in.

The chairman role was established in 1949 as an adviser to the president and secretary of defense, as a way to filter all of the views of the service chiefs and more readily provide that information to the White House without the president having to reach out to each individual military branch. Trump acted despite support for Brown among key members of Congress and a seemingly friendly meeting with him in mid-December, when the two were seated next to each other for a time at the Army-Navy football game. Brown's future was called into question during the confirmation hearing for Hegseth last month, when he was asked if he would fire Brown, and he responded that every single senior officer would be reviewed based on meritocracy, standards, lethality, and commitment to lawful orders they would be given.

As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the Pentagon will respond to the changes and what impact they will have on the military's operations and policies. The list of key events and stakeholders includes: * President Trump's decision to fire Gen. CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff * The nomination of retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as the next chairman * The firings of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Jim Slife * The reaction of key members of Congress, including Sen. Roger Wicker, GOP chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee * The potential impact on the military's operations and policies, including the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East.