Trump nominates Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan ‘Razin’ Caine for Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman

President Donald Trump on Friday night nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. 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,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social announcing the nomination.

Trump said during his first term, the three-star lieutenant general was “instrumental” in the “complete annihilation” of the ISIS caliphate.

Trump has nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (U.S. Air Force)

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“It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. Many so-called military ‘geniuses’ said it would take years to defeat ISIS,” the president wrote. “General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered.”

Trump said despite Caine “being highly qualified and respected,” he 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 wrote. “Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon.”

President Donald Trump poses for his official White House portrait. (Trump-Vance Transition Team)

“General Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I look forward to working with him,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a statement to Fox News Friday night. 

While it is typical for Joint Chiefs chairmen to remain in their positions during shifts of power, Trump made the decision to find a replacement. 

Both Trump and Hegseth gave a nod to the departing chairman, four-star fighter pilot General Charles “CQ” Brown.

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“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,” Trump wrote. “He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”

Hegseth added Brown served with “distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service.”

“I have come to know him as a thoughtful adviser and salute him for his distinguished service to our country,” he wrote. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Feb. 13, 2025. (REUTERS/Yves Herman)

The Secretary of Defense has been outspoken about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies adversely affecting military operations, and previously suggested firing Brown and other top leaders.

Prior to becoming defense secretary, Hegseth wrote about Brown several times in his book, “The War on Warriors,” once questioning if Brown deserved his promotion to America’s highest general.

“The military standards, once the hallmark for competency, professionalism, and ‘mission first’ outcomes, have officially been subsumed by woke priorities,” he wrote. “You think C.Q. Brown will think intuitively about external threats and internal readiness? No chance. He built his generalship dutifully pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians, who in turn rewarded him with promotions.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown speaks during a press briefing, April 26, 2024, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

He also said Brown “made the race card one of his biggest calling cards.”

Prior to his appointment, Brown served as the 22nd chief of staff of the Air Force from 2020 to 2023. He logged more than 3,000 flight hours as a fighter pilot, including 130 hours in combat.

Caine has logged more than 2,800 hours in the F-16, including more than 100 combat hours.

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Hegseth said he is also requesting nominations for the positions of Chief of Naval Operations and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff.

“The incumbents in these important roles, Admiral Lisa Franchetti and General James Slife, respectively, have had distinguished careers,” Hegseth wrote. “We thank them for their service and dedication to our country.”

Admiral Lisa Franchetti (U.S. Navy)

Hegseth also previously mentioned Franchetti in his book, criticizing her lack of combat experience and mocking her master’s degree from the University of Phoenix online college.

“If naval operations suffers, at least we can hold our heads high. Because at least we have another first! The first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — hooray. For social justice ideologues, PR matters more than reality,” he wrote.

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Caine was commissioned in 1990 through the ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute and has a Master of Arts in Air Warfare from the American Military University.

Brown was visiting Fort Bliss to discuss border operations on Friday, Fox News has learned. Franchetti was in Europe when she got the news. She is now returning home.

Hegseth said the department is also seeking nominations for the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

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“Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars,” he wrote.