- Trump announces an unprecedented military leadership upheaval.
- Trump to appoint the Lieutenant-General retired Dan Caine as a successor to Brown.
- The skeptical hegseth defense secretary as to the appointment of Brown.
Friday, President Donald Trump dismissed the president of the chiefs of joint staff, the general of the Air Force CQ Brown, and expelled five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented upheaval of the American military leadership.
Trump declared in an article on Truth Social that he would name the former lieutenant-general Dan “Razin” Caine to succeed Brown, breaking with tradition by removing someone from retirement for the first time to become the best officer military.
The president will also replace the head of the US Navy, a position held by Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead a military service, as well as the Air Force chief vice-chief, said the Pentagon. It also removes the judge from the defenders General of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, critical positions which guarantee the application of military justice.
Trump’s decision triggers a period of upheavals in the Pentagon, which was already preparing for mass layoffs of civil personnel, a spectacular overhaul of its budget and a change in military deployments within the framework of the new foreign policy of the new America America of Trump.
While the civil leadership of the Pentagon passes from one administration to another, members in uniform of the American armed forces are supposed to be apolitical, implementing the policy of democratic and republican administrations.
Brown, the second black officer to become the president’s best military advisor to the president, was to end his four -year term in September 2027.
An American official said that Brown had been relieved with immediate effect, before the Senate confirmed his successor.
In November, Reuters was the first to point out that the incoming Trump administration provided for a radical reshuffle of superior brass, with shots including Brown.
Democratic legislators condemned Trump’s decision, a Republican.
“The dismissal of uniform leaders as a type of political loyalty test, or for reasons relating to diversity and gender that have nothing to do with performance, erodes the confidence and professionalism that our soldiers need for Carry out their missions, “said Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the best democrat of the Senate Committee for Armed Services.
Representative Seth Moulton, Massachusetts Democrat, said dismissals were “non -American, antipatriotic and dangerous for our troops and our national security”.
“This is the definition of the politicization of our soldiers,” he said.
Generals ‘awakened’
During the presidential campaign last year, Trump spoke of dismissing “awakened” generals and officials of the disturbed withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. On Friday, the president did not explain his decision to replace Brown.
“I would like to thank Brown General Charles ‘CQ’ for his more than 40 years of service to our country, including as the current president of joint staff chiefs. He is a good gentleman and an exceptional leader, And I wish a great future for him and his family, “wrote Trump.
Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, was skeptical about Brown before taking the head of the Pentagon with a large program which includes the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
In his latest book, Hegseth asked if Brown would have obtained the post if he was not black.
“Was it because of his skin color? Or his skills? We will never know it, but any doubt – which, on his face, seems unfair to CQ. But as he made the racing card one of his The biggest vocation cards, that is not very important, “he wrote in his 2024 book” The War on Warriors: behind the betrayal of the men who hold us freely.
Brown, a former fighter pilot who held commandments in the Middle East and Asia, said discrimination in the army in an emotional video published online after the murder in 2020 of George Floyd, who sparked national demonstrations For racial justice.
Brown was on an official trip when Trump made this announcement. A few hours before Trump’s post, Brown’s official Brown account had published images of him meeting troops on the American border with Mexico, deployed to support Trump’s repression against illegal immigration.
“Borders has always been essential to the defense of our homeland. While we sail on unprecedented security challenges … We will make sure that our troops on the border have everything they need,” posted Brown.
A brown spokesperson did not immediately respond to a comment request.
Women leaders have dismissed
Franchetti was the first woman to order the US Navy.
His appointment in 2023 by the president of the time, Joe Biden, had been a surprise. Pentagon officials were largely expected that the appointment went to Admiral Samuel Paparo, who led the navy to the Pacific at the time. Paparo was rather promoted to direct the Indo-Pacific Command of the American Army.
During his first day in power, Trump dismissed Admiral Linda Fagan at the head of the American Coast Guard. She was her first commanding wife.
Last month, Trump’s Pentagon destroyed Mark Cany, an army retired general and former president of the joint staff chiefs, revoking his personal security details and his security authorization. He also withdrew his portrait from the walls of the Pentagon.
Milley, who was the first American military officer during a part of Trump’s first presidential mandate, became a leading critic after his retirement as a four -star general in 2023 during the Biden administration and faced death threats.
