White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered a very simple explanation for Friday's change in Pentagon personnel. Leavitt was asked during a Tuesday media briefing why President Donald Trump was “naming a replacement for [now-former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] Gen.

President Trump said he is nominating Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Caine is a career fighter jet pilot who defended Washington, D.C., during the 9/11 attacks and been adored by Trump since they met in Iraq during Trump's first term.

Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense and a 2025 Wash100 Award winner, has announced the intention of President Donald Trump to nominate retired Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In a press release published Friday, Hegseth also called for the nomination of key military positions.

Democratic lawmakers and retired military officers expressed concern about the politicization of the military under President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was fired Friday night by President Donald Trump, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, was also relieved of duty.