Washington: The U.S. Senate has confirmed retired Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, marking a significant shift in the country’s military leadership. The decision, reached by a 60–25 vote, came two months after former President Donald Trump unexpectedly dismissed General C.Q. Brown from the role.
Caine’s confirmation received bipartisan support, although the vote occurred in the early hours of the morning after Democrats resisted fast-tracking the process. The confirmation followed the Senate’s earlier approval of Caine’s return to military service at the rank of major general, a legal requirement since his retirement last year.
Trump’s move to replace Brown—only halfway through his four-year term—sparked outrage on Capitol Hill. It was the first time a sitting president had dismissed a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first instance of a retired officer being appointed to the position. Alongside Brown’s dismissal, Trump also removed five other senior military leaders, drawing criticism for what lawmakers described as a sweeping and unprecedented purge of the U.S. military command structure.
Democrats voiced concerns that Trump was attempting to reshape military leadership with figures personally loyal to him rather than to the Constitution. “Yes men” was a term some used to describe the replacements.
Caine, a retired F-16 fighter pilot, took an unconventional path to the top military post. From 2009 to 2016, he served part-time with the National Guard while working as “a serial entrepreneur and investor.” Before his retirement, he held the position of associate director for military affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency.
Trump has recounted meeting Caine during a 2018 visit to Iraq, claiming the general had worn a “Make America Great Again” hat in a show of allegiance. However, Caine denied this during his confirmation hearing, asserting that he had “never worn one of the hats.” He emphasized his nonpartisan stance and stated his willingness to resist unlawful directives. “I will follow the law. I will follow the Constitution,” Caine said.
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During his campaign, Trump vowed to remove “woke” military leaders and those involved in the widely criticized 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth—a former Fox News contributor and military veteran—has also been a vocal critic of General Brown, particularly targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the military.
In his recent book, Hegseth questioned whether Brown’s race influenced his appointment, writing that Brown may not have been selected “if he were not Black.”
Caine now assumes leadership of the Joint Chiefs at a time of shifting global dynamics and heightened domestic scrutiny over the military’s role in political affairs.
