President Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.
The ouster of Brown, only the second Black general to serve as chairman, is sure to send shock waves through the Pentagon. His 16 months in 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,” Mr. Trump posted on social media.
Mr. Trump says he is nominating Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman.
Mr. 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 had been meeting regularly with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who took over the top Pentagon job just four weeks ago.
In a statement Friday evening, Hegseth said that Caine “embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I look forward to working with him.”
Hegseth said Brown “served with distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service,” and praised him as a “thoughtful adviser and salute him for his distinguished service to our country.”
