Gen. Dan Caine

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine on April 11 as the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making history as the first member of the Air National Guard and the first recently retired officer in decades to take the nation’s top military job.

Caine was approved by a bipartisan vote of 60-25 and will replace Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was unexpectedly removed from the role by President Donald Trump in February. Caine becomes the sixth Air Force officer to hold the position and will be promoted to four-star general as part of his appointment.

Although typically the role goes to a four-star general currently serving in a senior position, the president can make exceptions—which Trump did in this case, as Caine had retired earlier this year.

Caine brings one of the most diverse backgrounds ever to the job. A former fighter pilot, he has served in a wide range of roles: from working in the Department of Agriculture as a White House fellow, to advising the Homeland Security Council, to leading special operations forces in Iraq. He also worked in some of the military’s most secretive programs and served as a liaison to the CIA. In recent years, he helped lead U.S. special operations in the Middle East.

At his confirmation hearing on April 1, Caine acknowledged he was an “unconventional nominee,” but added, “These are unconventional times.”

Caine takes over as the military faces several major international challenges, including Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, increased attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in the Red Sea, and continued tensions with China over Taiwan.

As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Caine won’t be in charge of military forces but will serve as the top military advisor to President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He’ll help shape the country’s defense policies and guide the future direction of the armed forces.

“Congratulations to Dan ‘Razin’ Caine on his confirmation,” Hegseth posted online. “Your leadership will be a vital part of returning the Department of Defense back to the American warfighter.”

Despite the controversy around Brown’s dismissal—something that hasn’t happened to a Joint Chiefs chairman since 2007—Caine’s nomination moved forward smoothly, with support from both Republicans and more than a dozen Democrats.

Leaders from the defense industry also praised his confirmation.