President Donald Trump has nominated Ret. Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin'" Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Daily Caller reported. Caine would replace outgoing Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, who was ousted because of his support for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
One of Trump's improvements to the military is to dispense with DEI policies that have arguably harmed wartime readiness. While the chairman usually serves through several administrations, Brown is leaving over the difference of opinion.
The president chose Caine as a suitable replacement based on his vast experience. He had served during Trump's first term as the commanding general of the U.S. Central Command Special Operations Component in Iraq.
In a post to his TruthSocial, Trump called Caine a "warfighter" who was "instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate." This change came at a time when a shakeup was needed most.
Caine enlisted in the Air National Guard and served with the 138th Fighter Squadron at Syracuse Air Force Base between 1994 and 1998. Later, he was deployed to Iraq for a tour in 2001 and another in 2003 before becoming the Counterterrorism and Strategy based out of Washington, D.C.
The 56-year-old later served as the Special Access Programs Central Office director in 2019 and special assistant to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau in September 2021. Caine became the associate director for Military Affairs at the CIA in December 2021 before retiring in December 2024.
Even during his time in flight school, it was clear that Caine was exceptional. "He always kept striving for more and striving for perfection," his former flight instructor, Ret. Col. Gary Atkin recalled.
"There’s guys that sit around the squadron and drink beer, and then there’s other guys that keep trying to do more stuff, you know. So that was Dan," Atkin said, referring to the latter.
"He was working on the test center out in Tucson, going to fighter weapons school. He was always kind of looking for all of these other things," Atkin added. Caine made a positive impression on Trump when he promised to help eliminate ISIS then did just that.
One of the highlights of Caine's career came during Operation Iraqi Freedom, destroying SCUD missile sites. Former pilot James Rennan was one of the members of the 149th Lone Star Gunfighters who joined Caine on this clandestine mission that was particularly difficult.
"That was a pretty complex mission for the F-16. Partially because of our speeds, we were getting used to new targeting pods, night vision goggles, all this kind of stuff. And although most of us were proficient F-16 pilots, very few guys have the discipline to be the resident expert, and it became evident Raisin’ was the smartest guy in the room," Rennan said of Caine.
"He could hang out on the pro level, very relatable, very friendly, but like when he spoke, he was our subject matter expert on power. SCUD was a mission that none of us had really flown," Rennan explained.
He noted that Caine made quite an impression on military leaders. "I think he’s put himself in a really good position, from operational fighter pilot, worked his way through the ranks, lots of jobs, special access, CIA; He’s really provided himself with some broad perspective to be an effective leader," Rennan said.
Caine is the perfect choice for the position at the top of the Department of Defense, given his experience. He will likely be confirmed in the Senate even if Democrats vote for him kicking and screaming.
