President Donald Trump’s pick to be the following chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, retired Air Power Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, will face questions from senators throughout his confirmation hearing Tuesday about his {qualifications} to turn into the highest U.S. navy officer.
Caine is a adorned F-16 fight pilot who served in management positions in a number of particular operations instructions and in a number of the Pentagon’s most labeled packages. He doesn’t, nonetheless, meet the conditions for Joint Chiefs chairman, though they are often waived by the president.
Caine was nominated by Trump in February, someday after the president fired the previous chairman, Gen. CQ Brown Jr., in a purge of common officers whom he and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seen as endorsing range, fairness and inclusion within the ranks.
Caine met Trump when the president visited troops in Iraq in 2018 throughout his first time period. Trump has instructed political supporters the encounter left an impression on him—and that Caine placed on a purple “Make America Nice Once more” hat on the time, one thing Caine’s interior circle has mentioned just isn’t true.
Caine has been described by former navy colleagues as a deeply severe profession officer who has spent the previous few weeks assembly with each Democratic and Republican lawmakers, mentioned a former U.S. official who has helped Caine put together for the affirmation course of and spoke on the situation of anonymity to supply particulars on Caine’s nomination. Hegseth notably refused to fulfill with many Democrats when he was going via the affirmation course of.
As a result of he retired in December, Caine would have to be sworn again into energetic obligation. That will happen after he’s confirmed, after which he could be promoted to four-star common, the official mentioned.
Caine’s nomination following the ouster of Brown is prone to elevate questions from some Democrats on the Senate Armed Companies Committee about whether or not he’ll stay impartial of Trump.
Throughout Trump’s first time period, his relationship with then-Chairman Gen. Mark Milley soured as Milley pushed again and took steps to attempt to stop what he noticed as an try and politicize the workplace, reminiscent of by reminding navy service members they take an oath to the Structure, to not a president.
The connection soured to the extent that inside hours of Trump being sworn in workplace in January, Milley’s portrait as chairman of the Joint Chiefs was faraway from the Pentagon. Trump and Hegseth have subsequently stripped Milley of his safety clearance and safety element.
Caine doesn’t meet conditions specified by a 1986 legislation, reminiscent of being a combatant commander or service chief. The legislation, nonetheless, permits presidents to waive these necessities to fill the place with somebody they’re most snug with.
Whereas Caine could be the navy’s high uniformed officer, his chief obligation could be serving because the president’s high navy adviser.
However Caine has hung out contained in the Pentagon, main its Particular Entry Applications Central Workplace, which oversees what labeled data on weapons packages is shared with overseas governments.
He additionally served because the commander of the joint particular operations job drive in Iraq in 2008 and because the assistant commanding common of joint particular operations command at Fort Bragg. From 2018 to 2019, he was the deputy commanding common of the particular operations joint job drive for Operation Inherent Resolve, countering the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
He additionally was affiliate director for navy affairs on the CIA from 2021 till he retired in December.
Caine transferred into the Nationwide Guard in 2009 and started working within the non-public sector, together with as an adviser at an funding agency run by the brother of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
He has greater than 2,800 flying hours within the F-16 and has earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster, amongst different awards.
—Tara Copp, Related Press
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