The Senate early Friday voted to confirm retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two months after President Trump sacked his predecessor, Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.
Gen. Caine was approved in a 60-25 vote in the Senate that followed a low-key confirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee, which voted 23-4 to pass his nomination to the full Senate. With his promotion to the nation’s highest-ranking military position, he was elevated to four-star general and stepping out of retirement.
As Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Caine, 56, will be the primary military adviser to Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Congratulations to Dan ‘Razin’ Caine on his confirmation in the Senate as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” Mr. Hegseth posted on X. “Your leadership will be a welcome (and) vital part of ensuring we return the Dept. of Defense back to the American warfighter.”
Sen. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Gen. Caine “sailed” through the hearing with bipartisan endorsement. He told his Senate colleagues they should remain in session for as long as it takes to confirm the general.
“President Trump should have the expertise of the highest-ranking military officer in place without any delays,” Mr. Wicker said. “The Chinese Communist Party continues an expansive military buildup, and our adversaries continue to band together against the United States.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was among the Senate Democrats who blocked quick passage of Gen. Caine’s nomination in protest over the firing of Gen. Brown. The White House has sacked several high-ranking military officers since Mr. Trump took office, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first female chief of naval operations.
“General C.Q. Brown and Admiral Franchetti served our country with dedication and honor. Donald Trump firing them sends a clear message about who is welcome in his military,” Ms. Warren posted on X. “We’re not going to help him ram his replacement through.”
She said the firings “send a chilling message about who is and who is not welcome in our military.”
Democrats accuse the White House of purging high-ranking officers from the historically apolitical military only because they’re deemed not sufficiently loyal to the president. Administration officials said the officers were often overly focused on pursuing social justice policies at the expense of military readiness.
Gen. Caine, who vowed that he would act apolitically in the job, is a decorated F-16 pilot who has served in several high-ranking positions in the Air Force and intelligence community.
However, he has not been a service chief or led one of the major combatant commands, such as U.S. Central Command or U.S. European Command. That requirement can be waived by the president if the appointment is deemed “necessary in the national interest.”
