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HomeDefenceTrump fires top military general over diversity efforts in major Pentagon shake-up

Trump fires top military general over diversity efforts in major Pentagon shake-up

General CQ Brown Jr was appointed by Biden administration as 2nd black chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff. The broader shake-up in Pentagon is spearheaded by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

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New Delhi: US President Donald Trump Friday announced the dismissal of Air Force General Charles Q. Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a decision that has stirred controversy. The president’s announcement came via a post on social media, where he thanked Brown for over 40 years of service to the country, but added that Lieutenant General Dan Caine, a retired three-star officer, would replace him.

Brown had made history as the first African-American in the US to serve as the Air Force’s chief of staff, and later became the second black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the previous president, Joe Biden.

The dismissal of Brown is part of a broader shake-up in the Pentagon, spearheaded by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth, in a statement following Trump’s post, announced that other senior officers would also be replaced, including Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as chief of US Naval operations, and General James Slife, a senior US Air Force officer.

“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,” the statement read.


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Dismissal against ‘woke’ politics

Hegseth has been vocal in his opposition to what he calls “woke” policies within the military, specifically targeting Brown’s focus on diversity issues. Brown Jr had been public in his support for the Black Lives Matter campaign and George Floyd killing.

In his 2024 book, The War on Warriors, Hegseth had accused Brown of endorsing reduced readiness standards during his tenure as Air Force chief of staff, calling the initiative “racist” and “illegal”. In a podcast in November 2024, Hegseth had called on President Trump to dismiss Brown and other military leaders involved in diversity efforts.

“The tragedy of these emotionally stunted, angry, race-based people is that they have an ax to grind—and will grind it. Take it to the racist bank: black troops, at all levels, will be promoted simply based on their race. Some will be qualified; some will not be,” his book read.

Who is Charles Brown

A former F-16 pilot, General Charles Q. Brown Jr. rose to the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September 2023, having earlier served as deputy head of US Central Command and chief of US Air Force in the Middle East, overseeing a major air campaign against ISIS. Brown later commanded air forces in the Pacific before being appointed Air Force chief of staff by Trump in 2020. 

During Brown’s swearing-in ceremony at the Oval Office, Trump praised him as “a great gentleman, a great man.”

Following a 2017 decision by Congress to extend the chairman’s term from two to four years—a move aimed at ensuring continuity of leadership—Brown was expected to serve until 2027, Washington Post had reported.

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)


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