Trump fires top-ranking military officer amidst crackdown on 'wokeness'

The highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Quinton Brown Jr., was visiting U.S. troops in Texas, just days after convening with European allies at a defence leaders summit in Germany.

While in his hotel room in El Paso, Texas on Feb. 22, 2025, he received a surprise telephone call from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, informing him that he had been fired by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Brown had served in the military for over 40 years and became chairman on Oct. 1, 2023. The decision to fire Brown, which Trump also shared on Truth Social, could wipe out "decades of military experience", Politico reported, and "create a cascade of hasty promotions down the ranks that impact U.S. leadership across the globe."

Joint Chiefs chairmen typically hold their positions as administrations change, The New York Times wrote, making the move surprising.

"Well f**k," one official reportedly told Politico, upon hearing the news.

Trump also fired the U.S. Navy's top admiral, Lisa Franchetti, and the U.S. Air Force's Vice Chief, General James Slife, in a broad and shocking shakeup of the top brass of the Pentagon.

Trump's firings come just days after the administration's sudden rapprochement with Russia over the war in Ukraine, and speeches given by Hegseth and Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference, signalling American retrenchment from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Possibly part of broader DEI crackdown

In his post announcing Brown's firing, Trump described the general as "a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader". 

It was Trump who nominated Brown to be the Air Force's Chief of Staff back in 2020, during his first term as President. Trump had then highlighted the significance of his nomination, noting that Brown was the "first-ever African American military service chief".

The administration's about-face could have something to do with a general crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Hegseth had opined on a November 2024 YouTube podcast that Brown needed to be fired due to his involvement with DEI efforts, and added:

"Either you're in for warfighting, and that's it... that's the only litmus test we care about."

An "unusual" military official takes his place

Trump announced that he was nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He added:

"Despite being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the previous administration, General Caine was passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden. But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military."

Trump outlined Caine's credentials as "an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience."

Caine is also a partner at Shield Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies dealing with "artificial intelligence, autonomy, cybersecurity, and space".

Trump attributed to Caine the "complete annihilation" of the jihadist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS): "Many so-called military “geniuses” said it would take years to defeat ISIS. General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered."

According to The New York Times, however, Caine's upward path within the military was "unusual".

He began his military career as a fighter pilot, then served in "highly secretive intelligence and special operations assignments" under former President George W. Bush, before serving a stint as associate director for military affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2021 to 2024.

Caine and Trump had first met in Iraq in 2018.

Trump recalled the encounter at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2019, and according to Trump, Caine professed to him:

"I love you, sir. I think you're great, sir. I'll kill for you, sir."

Trump says Caine then apparently put on a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat.

Military guidelines prohibit the wearing of political paraphernalia, and Caine has reportedly denied that he has ever put on a MAGA hat.

Top photo from Jim Watson/AFP & U.S. Air Force website