➤ On Friday, February 21, President Donald Trump announced a surprising change in the leadership of the United States military. Mr. Trump removed several top military leaders and chose a retired general to lead the country’s armed forces.
On Friday, February 21, President Donald Trump announced a surprising change in the leadership of the United States military. Mr. Trump removed several top military leaders and chose a retired general to lead the country’s armed forces.
The US has a strong tradition of keeping the military separate from politics. In the past, the military has been led by people with great experience. And these people remained in place no matter which political party was in power. Mr. Trump has now changed that.
Mr. Trump, and his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, have removed six high-ranking military leaders. These include the current and past leaders of the Air Force, Navy, and Army. In January, Mr. Trump also fired the leader of the Coast Guard.
The announcement came as a surprise. Mr. Trump said that he would replace four-star General Charles Brown Jr. with Lieutenant General Dan Caine as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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Mr. Trump, and his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth (above right), have removed six high-ranking military leaders. This includes General Charles Brown, Jr. (left), who Mr. Trump chose to lead the Air Force in 2020. He became the top military leader in the US in 2023. Above, Mr. Hegseth and General Brown in January.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of high-ranking leaders from the four US military branches. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest military position in the US. The chairman helps make important military decisions, and advises the president on questions related to the military.
General Brown was the second African American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was appointed to the position in 2023. Before that, he led the US Air Force. It was Mr. Trump who put General Brown in charge of the Air Force. At the time, Mr. Trump called him “a great leader”.
General Caine, who Mr. Trump has chosen to replace General Brown, retired in December of last year. Mr. Trump met him in Iraq in 2018, and likes him very much.
General Cain is only a three-star general. Most top military leaders – like those who were fired – have four stars. People who serve as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff usually have far more experience than General Caine does. As a result, General Caine may need special permission from Congress to take the job.
Mr. Hegseth also fired the top lawyers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. These lawyers have the important job of making sure that the military follows the law. Mr. Hegseth said he wants lawyers who give good advice, but aren’t there to “be roadblocks to anything”.
Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth have been clear that they want the military to work more on fighting wars, and not spend time on things like diversity.
Many Democrats and some Republicans are unhappy about the changes. They say Mr. Trump is bringing politics into the military by removing experienced leaders and replacing them with people who will agree with him. Many people believe this is a dangerous move that could weaken the military.