WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump has dismissed General Charles “CQ” Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a sweeping shake-up of the nation’s top military leadership.
The move, announced by Trump on social media Friday, also included the removal of at least five other senior military officials.
“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.
The decision to oust Gen Brown, the second Black officer in U.S. history to hold the role, marks a major shift in the Pentagon’s leadership.
He was appointed by former President Joe Biden and was set to serve until 2027.
Trump’s newly appointed Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, had previously signaled that Brown’s removal was likely, criticizing his focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the military.
Alongside Brown, the administration also dismissed two other high-ranking officers: Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Jim Slife.
Franchetti, notably the first woman to lead the Navy, and Slife were also Biden-era appointees.
Hegseth defended the removals in a statement Friday, saying: “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 White House has announced that Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, a career F-16 pilot who recently served as the CIA’s associate director for military affairs, will be nominated as the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Brown was visiting U.S. troops at the southern border when Trump publicly announced his dismissal. Rumors of his removal had been circulating throughout the week.
The reshuffling underscores a broader ideological battle over the role of DEI initiatives in the armed forces.
Critics within the Trump administration, including Hegseth, have argued that such programs detract from military readiness.
Before his confirmation, Hegseth had openly called for Brown’s firing, arguing that a shift in leadership was necessary to “course correct” what he saw as misplaced priorities in the military.
The removals come amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to roll back diversity policies in federal institutions.
However, a federal court in Maryland on Friday temporarily blocked Trump from implementing bans on DEI programs, with U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson ruling that the measures likely violate First Amendment rights.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced that it would cut its budget and lay off 5,400 probationary employees next week, in what officials described as an effort to streamline operations.
Brown, a decorated Air Force general, gained national attention in 2020 when he spoke about race and his experiences as one of the few Black men in his unit following the death of George Floyd.
His dismissal marks the latest in a series of high-profile firings under Trump’s leadership, including last month’s removal of the first female commandant of the Coast Guard.
Colin Powell, the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs, served from 1989 to 1993.
Brown’s tenure, however, ends in a far more contentious climate—one in which military leadership is increasingly caught in the political crossfire.
