Who is Dan Caine? Trump chose 'real general' to be top US military officer

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US President Donald Trump dismissed General Charles Q Brown Jr as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appointing retired General Dan Caine as his successor. Trump’s decision followed their previous encounter in Iraq, where Caine demonstrated effective military leadership against ISIS.

US President Donald Trump fired the nation’s top military commander during an unprecedented Friday evening restructuring at the Pentagon, replacing him with a relatively unknown in Washington’s political sphere.

General Charles Q Brown Jr, a distinguished four-star fighter pilot commonly known as CQ and the second African American to serve as chairman, will be succeeded by Dan Caine, a retired three-star Air Force general who gained the president’s favour during their encounter in Iraq six years ago, New York Times reported.

The dismissals included six Pentagon officials, among them Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who made history as the Navy’s first female leader, General James Slife, the Air Force vice chief, and the principal legal advisers for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Trump announced Brown’s removal on Truth Social, reflecting his view that military leadership has become overly focused on diversity initiatives, has strayed from its primary defence mission, and is not aligned with his “America first” agenda.

“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,” Trump said.

“Today, I am honored to announce that I am nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience,” he added.

Prior to Friday night, Dan Caine was relatively unknown in Washington’s political sphere. However, President Donald Trump’s interest in the retired three-star general, whom he unexpectedly selected as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, originated from their initial encounter in Iraq in 2018.

During a 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference speech, Trump recounted how Caine, whilst serving as deputy commander of a special operations task force against Islamic State, assured him that the militant group could be eliminated within a week, Reuters reported.

“During my first term, Razin was instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate. It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. 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,” Trump said at Truth Social.

“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. Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

Trump has frequently shared the story of meeting “Razin” Caine, with increasingly enthusiastic praise. On Wednesday in Miami, just before announcing Caine’s nomination on Truth Social, Trump stated, “He’s a real general, not a television general.”

Upon Senate approval, Caine will lead a military experiencing transformation in the Trump administration’s initial 30 days. He will oversee a Joint Staff affected by Trump’s unexpected dismissal of Air Force General CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The retired F-16 pilot requires promotion to four-star general and must navigate a potentially challenging Senate confirmation process for a four-year term as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer.

Recently, Caine became affiliated with Shield Capital, a venture capital firm. His LinkedIn profile indicated new associations with two additional investment firms last month.

Caine’s military service differs from the conventional route to becoming the president’s principal military adviser. Unlike his predecessors, who typically commanded combatant commands or military service branches, Caine retired before reaching such positions. According to Trump, “Sleepy Joe Biden” had previously overlooked him for promotion.

In a recent podcast, Caine discussed his early aspirations to follow his father’s career as a fighter pilot. He completed his bachelor’s degree in arts and economics from Virginia Military Institute in 1990.

With over 2,800 hours of F-16 flight experience, Caine participated in Washington’s aerial defence on September 11, 2001, during the al Qaeda attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

From 2005, Caine served various roles in the capital, including special assistant to the secretary at the Department of Agriculture and policy director for counterterrorism at the White House’s homeland security council.

His Air Force biography notes his part-time National Guard service and entrepreneurial activities from 2009 to 2016. Before retiring last year, he served as associate director for military affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency.

A senior military official who has worked alongside Caine emphasised his commitment to keeping the military apolitical, noting that Caine’s primary concern upon selection was ensuring respectful treatment of General Brown.

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