Washington, Feb. 22, 2025 – US President Donald Trump has fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff C.Q. Brown, the highest-ranking officer in the country.
The U.S. senior most Military Officer C.Q. Brown hit the headlines in the year 2020 when he spoke about race following the death of George Floyd.
While he knew it was risky, he said, discussions with his wife and sons about the killing convinced him he needed to say something.
Gen. Brown also posted the video message to the U.S. Air Force and described the pressures he had felt as one of the few black men in his unit, including being questioned about his credentials.
Prior to leading the Air Force, Mr. Brown had served as the top air power leader in the Indo-Pacific.
He had repeatedly warned that U.S. warplanes had to change the way they would fight, by moving them from large, vulnerable bases and shifting to a format where drone swarms and small dispersed units would be able to independently counter threats from the thousands of islands throughout the Pacific.
C.Q. Brown’s departure is expected to send shockwaves through the Pentagon. Gen Brown had served as chairman for 16 months, overseeing critical military operations, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, following the removal, Mr. Trump announced that he would nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Following Gen. Brown’s removal, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged Brown’s contributions in his statement, saying, “He served with distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service,” adding that Brown was a “thoughtful adviser.” (The Hindu)
