First, let’s call what is happening what it really is. It’s not a “shakeup” it’s a purge. Now that we have that out of the way..
Assuming you’re a Trump supporter and Nazi you’re likely happy that the Fox News contributor fired CQ Brown, Jr., a four star general, as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for being black and “woke”. Oh, that’s not why you protest? Seems it:
It seems just a few short years ago before Trump went full mask off Nazi he was rather happy to appoint him: My decision to appoint @usairforce General Charles Brown as the USA’s first-ever African American military service chief has now been approved by the senate. A historic day for America! Excited to work even more closely with Gen. Brown, who is a Patriot and Great Leader! - Jun 9, 2020
He’s swapping him for another bootlicker that at CPAC in 2019, Trump previously recounted a conversation in which he recalled asking Caine how fast the Islamic State could be defeated, and claimed that Caine had told him: “Sir, we can have it totally finished in one week,” a story that fact-checkers said at the time “didn’t add up”.
The three-star ranking is unusual for an appointee to the top uniformed job in the Pentagon. Every previous appointee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since 1949 has been either a general or an admiral.
Caine is a highly unusual choice. U.S. Code states the “President may appoint an officer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff only if the officer has served as (A) the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; (B) the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, or the Chief of Space Operations; or (C) the commander of a unified or specified combatant command.” However, the law also states the those requirements can be waived “if the President determines such action is necessary in the national interest.” Congress must confirm any nomination.
Anyway, none of that matters anymore in the post “Russian and Nazi’s Are Bad” world we’re currently in. What’s burried in these stories is a much more serious issue in my opinion. The Fox New contributor has also been tasked with replacing:
More loyal replacements in the Air Force and Navy to do Trump’s bidding. Again, not a great scenario here but not necessarily that uncommon. The real scary part in my opinion is replacing “The Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force” with more loyalists. JAG loyalists could give Trump more of what he is looking for in more loosely interpretting military law and what is considered a legal target. They’re also the ethics counselors to review and approve all things related to conflicts of interest, approving spending, procurement integrity, outside employment / post-government employment, political activities, fundraising, andfinancial disclosures of commanders or other staff.
02/26/25 UPDATE: Seems like we’re saying the quiet part outloud. Hegseth: Trump Will Install New Military Attorneys Who Won’t Be ‘Roadblocks to Anything’
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth defended the Trump administration’s purge of top military lawyers because they don’t want people in those roles who “attempt to be roadblocks to … anything that happens.”
More on this by way of The Washington Post
I guess we’re at the military coup stage of the Project 2025 handbook.