Trump Shakes Up Military Leadership by Terminating CQ Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Gen. CQ Brown was among the senior military officers fired by President Donald Trump as part of a larger leadership change.

A major reorganization of senior military leadership has occurred with the dismissal of US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles “CQ” Brown by President Donald Trump.

Along with five other senior officers, Brown, the second Black officer in history to occupy the coveted position and who had served for more than 40 years, was replaced.

Trump thanked General Brown for his service and announced on social media that five other commanders will also be replaced.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had previously chastised Gen. Brown for his “woke” emphasis on military diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, also announced the dismissals of Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim Slife and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.

Former President Joe Biden appointed all three of the commanders fired on Friday, including Adm Franchetti, the first female commander of the United States Navy.

“We are putting in place new leadership under President Trump that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting, and winning wars,” Hegseth said in defense of the move.

Then, Trump declared that he will name Air Force Lt Gen Dan Caine, a former F-16 pilot and CIA associate director for military affairs, as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The decision was made two hours before Trump announced Gen. Brown’s resignation when he was visiting troops at the southern border of the United States. Although his tenure was scheduled to end in 2027, there have been rumors of his termination for days.

After George Floyd’s death in 2020, Gen. Brown’s remarks about race garnered widespread notice. As one of the few Black soldiers in his unit, he talked about the difficulties he experienced and the examination of his credentials in a video message to the Air Force.

According to the Air Force Times, Gen. Brown co-signed a document in 2022, when he was the Air Force’s Chief of Staff, that set diversity targets to reduce the number of white applicants and boost the percentage of minority applicants for officer positions.

Trump dismissed him after dismissing the Coast Guard’s first female Commandant for having a “excessive focus” on diversity.

Prior to his confirmation in November, Hegseth had already hinted at impending changes to the military leadership. In a podcast, he listed the actions that the Trump administration ought to take in order to “correct course.”

“First and foremost, you have the authority to dismiss the Joint Chiefs chairman,” Hegseth had stated.

The Pentagon said Friday it will reduce its budget and lay off 5,400 probationary staff members the following week in addition to changing its leadership.

A federal judge, however, temporarily halted Trump’s attempts to outlaw diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives after finding that the instructions would infringe upon free speech rights.