Caine confirmed as nation’s top military officer, first joint chiefs chairman from National Guard
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine has promised to give the president his best military advice “even when the president may have different feelings about it," he told lawmakers previously.
By Valerie Insinna on April 11, 2025 at 8:35 AM
WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making Caine the first member of the National Guard to rise to the level of the nation’s top uniformed position.
Caine’s confirmation, in a 60-25 vote shortly after midnight today, was a rare show of bipartisanship that saw more than a dozen Democrats support the nomination — a sign that Caine had assuaged concerns brought about by President Donald Trump‘s involvement in his unconventional nomination.
Caine was nominated by Trump on the heels of the president’s firing of his previous chairman Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, a Black fighter pilot with a resume of leadership positions in the Indo-Pacific, who was accused by conservative critics of espousing views aligned with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
In the wake of the announcement, several media outlets reported a story Trump has told at public events in which he suggested Caine put on a MAGA hat during a meeting in Iraq and allegedly said he would “kill for” Trump, raising concerns that the president had fired his current military adviser to install a political loyalist.
Asked about the incident during his confirmation hearing, Caine repeatedly denied having ever worn a MAGA hat or other “political merchandise.”
“I went back and listened to those tapes, and I think the president was actually talking about somebody else,” Caine said when asked about the incident by Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI.
Caine also stated that he would give the president his best military advice “even when the president may have different feelings about it,” and uphold the Constitution, even if he was fired as a result.
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https://breakingdefense.com/2025/04/caine-confirmed-as-nations-top-military-officer-first-joint-chiefs-chairman-from-national-guard/
