Dan Caine confirmed by Senate to become Trump’s Joint Chiefs chairman

Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, whom President Donald Trump plucked from retirement – and relative obscurity – to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was confirmed by the Senate early Friday, capping an unusual nomination process that began with the abrupt dismissal of his predecessor weeks ago.

The vote, which the Senate concluded after 2 a.m., was 60 to 25. Fifteen Democrats voted in favor, including Sens. John Fetterman (Pennsylvania), Kirsten Gillibrand (New York), Tim Kaine (Virginia) and Adam Schiff (California).

Caine, 56, fills a vacancy atop the Pentagon created when Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. was fired in late February along with the head of the U.S. Navy and the vice chief of staff of the Air Force. Trump and his defense secretary, the former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, have removed several top officers during the administration’s opening months in a purge of the military’s senior ranks that has alarmed Democrats and several former Defense Department leaders.

Trump’s political opponents have sought to portray his shake-up of the military’s leadership ranks as part of a broader plot to install loyalists in traditionally nonpartisan positions throughout the government – roles where, in past administrations, independence was expected and prized.

Caine told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing earlier this month that he was determined “to earn your trust and the trust of the American people.” He acknowledged being an “unconventional nominee” for the Joint Chiefs role but said “these are unconventional times,” characterizing his acceptance of the nomination as an act of service.

Responding to Friday’s confirmation on social media, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) hailed Caine’s national security experience. “His service as a National Guardsman and his demeanor, knowledge, and eloquence make him the leader we need to meet the moment,” Cramer wrote.

Caine’s nomination attracted scrutiny in part because of Trump’s past comments about meeting him at a military base in Iraq during the president’s first term in office. At his confirmation hearing, Caine countered Trump’s assertion, made in a political speech last year, suggesting the general may have worn a bright red “Make America Great Again” cap during their interaction.

“I have never worn any political merchandise,” Caine told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Caine retired from the Air Force as a three-star general in January after a career that included time as a fighter pilot and Special Operations officer. In his last assignment, he was associate director of military affairs at the CIA, serving as a liaison to senior officials at the intelligence agency.

To become chairman, Caine first had to be reinstated to active service and then promoted to four-star general. Law stipulates the appointment of a four-star officer, someone who previously has been vice chair of the Joint Chiefs; the head of a branch of service; or the top commander at a major unified command. The law also allows the president to waive those requirements if he deems doing so is “necessary in the national interest.”