Trump ousts top U.S. general Charles "CQ" Brown

President Trump on Friday fired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr., the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force and the second Black general to serve as chairman, following Colin Powell.The big picture: Brown's termination comes amid the Trump administration's mass firings and pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The president has claimed the military's leadership is too heavily focused on diversity issues and signed an executive order on January 27 directing the Department of Defense to ax DEI programs.Zoom in: Trump didn't say why Brown was being fired but thanked him for more than 40 years of service to the United States, calling him "a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader" in a Truth Social post. Trump went on to nominate Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine for the role, claiming he "was passed over for promotion" by former President Biden.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Caine in a statement, 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."

President Trump on Friday fired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr., the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force and the second Black general to serve as chairman, following Colin Powell.

The big picture: Brown's termination comes amid the Trump administration's mass firings and pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The president has claimed the military's leadership is too heavily focused on diversity issues and signed an executive order on January 27 directing the Department of Defense to ax DEI programs.Zoom in: Trump didn't say why Brown was being fired but thanked him for more than 40 years of service to the United States, calling him "a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader" in a Truth Social post.

Trump went on to nominate Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine for the role, claiming he "was passed over for promotion" by former President Biden.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Caine in a statement, 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.".