In Pentagon shakeup, some see bid for more secret actions, less oversight
Trump's unconventional pick for Joint Chiefs chair brings deep special-warfare experience.
Patrick Tucker | February 23, 2025 09:23 PM ET
Pentagon White House Personnel Special Operations
The selection of John Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may signal a new emphasis on irregular warfare, covert and clandestine operations, enabling swifter action with fewer legal constraints and less congressional scrutiny, say former military and senior defense officials who have worked in the intelligence community, special operations, the Defense Department, and the White House.
The nomination of Caine—a retired Air Force lieutenant general—and the early dismissal of Gen. CQ Brown were part of an unprecedented purge announced on Friday by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who also announced their intent to replace Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations; and the judge advocates general—essentially the top lawyers—of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Hegseth was also reported to have fired his senior military assistant, Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short.
“General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a ‘warfighter’ with significant interagency and special operations experience,” Trump said in Friday post announcing the moves.
An F-16 pilot with more than 150 combat hours and a Distinguished Flying Cross, Caine first moved into special operations when he helped hunt SCUD missiles in Iraq in 2003, CNN reported. Five years later, he was leading the Joint Special Operations Task Force - Air Directorate in Iraq, according to his official bio.
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/02/trumps-pentagon-shakeup-some-see-bid-more-covert-action-less-oversight/403209/?oref=d1-homepage-top-story
