Key Insights into Lt. Gen. Caine, Trump’s Pick for the Joint Chiefs
Former U.S. President Donald Trump nominated retired Lt. Gen. John D. Caine of the U.S. Air Force to take the helm of the Joint Chiefs of Staff following the dismissal of Gen. Charles Q. Brown.
President Trump has selected retired Lt. Gen. John D. Caine of the U.S. Air Force to become the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is the highest military rank in the United States.
With an impressive 34 years of military experience, Caine has participated in aerial combat, directed inter-branch special operations, completed White House advisory roles, and collaborated with the Central Intelligence Agency. His military journey includes active duty in the Air Force as well as service in the Air National Guard. Recently, he has been involved with private companies focusing on aerospace and national security, including Voyager Technologies.
This nomination necessitates the return of Caine from retirement, which he initially entered in December 2024.
“Many so-called military ‘geniuses’ claimed it would take years to defeat ISIS. General Caine, in contrast, predicted it could be done swiftly, and he made it happen,” the president stated.
Trump vacated Gen. Charles Q. Brown from the chairman position on February 21 to pave the way for Caine. Caine must undergo a Senate confirmation process before succeeding Brown.
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Federal regulations also stipulate that the president can select the next chairman from individuals who have held roles as the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, military branch chiefs of staff, or leaders of unified or specified combatant commands. Caine has not held any of these designated positions.
The president does have the authority to waive these eligibility requirements in the interest of national security. Nevertheless, Trump’s decision to appoint Caine as the forthcoming chairman may attract heightened scrutiny during his Senate confirmation hearings.
“General Caine was highly qualified and esteemed during the previous administration but was overlooked for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump remarked in his Truth Social post on February 21.
Democratic senators are already expressing worries that Trump’s choice to oust Brown from the Joint Chiefs chair is politically driven.
“I’m concerned about the nature of these dismissals. This appears to be part of a larger, calculated effort by President Trump and [Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth] to remove capable officers for politically charged motives, undermining military professionalism and sending a disheartening message throughout the ranks,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), also part of the Armed Services Committee, described Brown’s termination as “disrespectful, dangerous, and unnecessarily political,” stating, “It won’t enhance readiness, increase our capabilities, or strengthen our military.”
Fighter Pilot
Caine was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force after graduating with a degree in economics from the Virginia Military Institute in 1990. He began as a pilot, mastering the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet, and later obtained a master’s degree in air warfare from American Military University in 2005.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon flies a mission in a file photo. U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby
According to a U.S. Air Force biography, Caine has accumulated about 2,800 flight hours, with over 100 of those in combat.
Caine was assigned to the 121st Fighter Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on September 11, 2001, as al-Qaeda hijacked and crashed commercial planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In a 2023 interview with the CIA, Caine recounted how he and his fellow pilots were ordered to take to the skies over Washington that day, authorized to shoot down any rogue aircraft.
“I remember instructing my wingman, ‘Don’t shoot anyone. I’ll make the call,’ being acutely aware that a wrong judgment could lead to catastrophic consequences, both for those on the ground and for the nation as a whole,” Caine reflected.
Caine’s biography at Voyager Technologies notes that he also acted as mission commander on the initial night of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Special Operations Commander
Caine worked closely with the special operations community throughout his military career.
From January to July 2008, he was part of the Joint Special Operations Task Force – Air Directorate, stationed at Balad Air Base in Iraq. Subsequently, he spent over a year and a half as a liaison officer for the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, which supports the most sensitive military operations the U.S. government undertakes.
Caine later served on the command staff of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and in the staff of its most elite unit, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
Caine’s tenure with SOCOM and JSOC coincided with Trump’s first term, during which he was in charge of special operations in Iraq as part of the larger mission to dismantle ISIS between May 2018 and September 2019.
Trump has occasionally shared memories of meeting Caine for the first time in Iraq in 2018, lauding the general for his optimistic approach to dismantling ISIS’s territorial claims in the area. During an event in Miami on February 19, Trump recalled meeting Caine and calling him “a real general, not a television general.”
At the time of their meeting, other military advisors anticipated it would take four years to recover territory from ISIS. In contrast, Trump shared that Caine confidently asserted the task could be completed in just four weeks.
“And Caine did it. He accomplished that mission,” Trump added.
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the U.S. military as First Lady Melania Trump looks on during an unannounced trip to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, on December 26, 2018. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Intelligence and White House Roles
For two years, from September 2019 to September 2021, Caine was the director of the Department of Defense’s Special Access Programs, overseeing a collection of highly classified government initiatives.
In the latter stage of his military career, Caine served as the associate director for military affairs at the CIA. This role aimed to facilitate cooperation between U.S. military forces and intelligence operations.
Earlier in his career, Caine spent over two years in various White House roles.
Initially, he worked as a White House fellow and special assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture from August 2005 until October 2006, followed by a role as the policy director for counterterrorism and strategy within the Homeland Security Council until January 2008.
Civilian Life
Caine’s Air Force biography indicates that he served part-time in the military from 2009 to 2016 as part of the National Guard. His military service biography also describes him as “a serial entrepreneur and investor” outside of his military career.
In the brief period following his planned retirement and before Trump’s announcement, Caine worked in roles at four different private ventures in venture capital and national security. He was appointed chairman of the national security advisory board at Voyager Technologies, a company that specializes in defense and aerospace technologies.
