US President Donald Trump has fired the co-head of CQ Brown, the country’s highest-ranking officer, as part of a major reform of top military leaders.
“I want to thank General Charles’ CQ ‘Brown for more than 40 years of service to our country,” Trump posted on social media. He said five other top officers have also been replaced, the BBC reported.
General Brown is the second black officer holding the post, whose owner advises both the president and the Secretary of Defense both to the Secretary of National Security.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses previously said General Brown should be fired for “waking up” to military diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Later on Friday, Heggs announced the firing of two additional senior officers. Admiral Lisa Francetti, the chief of Navy Operations, and General Jim Sliff, the Deputy Chief of Staff, have been announced.
Francetti was the first woman to lead the US Navy.
All three top executives, which were removed Friday, were appointed by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
Hegseth said in a statement: “Under President Trump, we are introducing new leadership that will deter the army, fight and focus it on the core of victory.”
Trump said he would nominate Lt. Gen. Duncanne, a career F-16 pilot who recently served as CIA associate director of military affairs.
Last year, at a conservative political action conference, Trump recalled General Cain’s first meeting in Iraq. “He looked better than any film actor you could get,” Trump told the audience.
In the same speech, he praised the army, which he said “wakes up at the top.”
General Brown was visiting troops at the US southern border on Friday, about two hours before Trump announced his departure.
Rumors have been swirling this week that the president will remove the commander.
General Brown made the headline in 2020 when he spoke about the race after George Floyd’s death.