Washington, D.C. — Today, President Donald Trump announced that he would remove General CQ Brown from the role of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff less than two years into his four-year term. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also announced that he will remove the chief of naval operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti; Air Force vice chief of staff, General James Slife; and the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. In response, Rudy deLeon, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a former deputy secretary of defense, issued the following statement:
These firings are a deliberate effort to target senior professional military officers and replace them with those would prioritize loyalty to the Trump administration over their commitment to the American people and to our armed forces. Few public servants have more honor, integrity, and courage than the military officials that Trump fired today. These officers have put our nation, our Constitution, and the American people before their own lives.
This action disrupts the chain of command, erodes military readiness, and damages morale throughout the ranks. It sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to further politicization of the military and pressure senior nonpartisan military officers to put politics ahead of their duty. Donald Trump himself personally expressed great pride at presiding over the swearing in of General Brown as the Air Force chief of staff, whom he has now dismissed. The Senate Armed Service Committee has long defended the independence of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and its leaders must carefully scrutinize these actions that appear motivated by a new definition of political correctness.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].