Trump replaces senior military leadership in politically-motivated ‘purge’
February 22, 2025
Charles Q Brown is a distinguished and long-serving senior USAF officer, a highly respected former F-16 pilot who rose to lead his service before becoming the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Though the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs serves at the pleasure of the president, it is extremely unusual for a chairman to be removed before they finish their four year term. Brown began his term as chairman on 1 October 2023. He was relieved of his position some two-and-a-half years early via message from President Donald Trump on the latter’s Truth Social social media network.
Trump wrote that: “I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”
Trump also wrote that: “Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high-level positions, which will be announced soon.”
In a later, separate press statement from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth announced that he was seeking nominations to replace Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife, and for the three judge advocates general (JAG) for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
No explanation were given (by either Trump or Hegseth) as to why any of the officers were being removed, nor were details provided as to the timing and ‘process’ of their removal.
Hegseth said that: “Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars,”
It has been widely reported that Brown, Franchetti and Slife were the targets of a quest to remove ‘woke generals’ who supported DEI efforts, and/or who had carried out orders related to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Their removal has been interpreted as a continuation of the ‘campaign’ that saw Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan being terminated on 21 January, the day after Trump’s inauguration.
Interestingly, Brown’s previous confirmation as Air Force Chief of Staff in 2020, was praised by President Trump, who boasted that he had appointed him to that role. Brown’s warfighting credentials were impeccable, and his experience as the former commander of Pacific air forces also meant he was “highly qualified to deter China and reassure allies in the Indo-Pacific” according to Time.
Brown’s stock fell following a number of unremarkable public comments about diversity, however, and shortly before he was nominated as Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth said on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast: “First of all, you’ve got to fire the chairman of the joint chiefs. Any general that was involved, general, admiral, or whatever, that was involved in any of that DEI woke shit has got to go. Either you’re in for warfighting, and that’s it, that’s the only litmus test we care about.”
Brown greeted Hegseth outside the Pentagon on his first day as the new SecDef, and a reporter asked Hegseth if he would fire the general. In response he patted Brown on the shoulder and said, “I’m standing with him right now. I look forward to working with him.”
It is not clear as to whether Brown and the other officers have been fired with immediate effect, or whether they will remain in post pending the appointment of successors. It has been reported that Brown’s interim, acting successor is Admiral Christopher W. Grady.
The dismissals have provoked disquiet, outrage and criticism.
Rudy de Leon, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress think tank, and a former deputy secretary of defense under President Bill Clinton, said that: “Few public servants have more honour, integrity and courage than the military officials that Trump fired today. 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 non-partisan military officers to put politics ahead of their duty.”
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that he was: “troubled by the nature of these dismissals. This appears to be part of a broader, premeditated campaign by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to purge talented officers for politically charged reasons, which would undermine the professionalism of our military and send a chilling message through the ranks. America has the strongest, most capable military in the world. But firing uniformed leaders as a type of political loyalty test, or for reasons relating to diversity and gender that have nothing to do with performance, erodes the trust and professionalism that our service members require to achieve their missions. … A professional, apolitical military that is subordinate to the civilian government and supportive of the Constitution, rather than [to] a political party, is essential to the survival of our democracy.”
The dismissal of the Judge Advocate Generals has raised particular concerns, with some expressing the fear that these military lawyers could be replaced by Trump loyalists. The JAGs interpret law for force commanders and the leadership, helping to determine what’s lawful and constitutional.
The dismissal of Brown and the others came on the same day that the Pentagon announced that it will dismiss 5,400 civilian employees next week as the first step in reducing Department of Defense staffing by 5- 8%.
