Hegseth Dismisses Question About 'underqualified' Trump Joint Chiefs Pick

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday rejected a reporter's question that suggested President Trump's pick for the new Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, Dan Caine, was not qualified for the position.

Trump on Friday removed Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., a four-star general, as chair of the Joint Chiefs, replacing him with the three-star general Caine. It was part of a broader purge of Pentagon posts made by Trump.

“Why did you hire an underqualified lieutenant general to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?” a reporter asked Hegseth in a room filled with international leaders on the margins of Hegseth's meeting with Saudi Arabia Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. 

“I’m going to choose to reject your unqualified question,” the Defense secretary answered before moving on to the next question.

Hegseth, before he was confirmed as Defense secretary, accused Brown of being involved in “woke” initiatives that promote diversity, equity and inclusion and suggested the leader be fired in order for U.S. military efforts to succeed. 

“First of all, you’ve got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,” Hegseth said during a November podcast appearance. “But any general that was involved — general, admiral, whatever — that was involved in any of the DEI woke s‑‑‑ has got to go. Either you’re in for warfighting, and that’s it. That’s the only litmus test we care about.”

Brown refused to resign after President Trump won the election, but accepted the termination, thanking the country for his ability to serve the nation in a Saturday post on LinkedIn. 

“I was inspired to serve by my father, who told me, ‘Four years in the military will not hurt you.’ Four years turned into four decades, surrounded by the finest service members and civilians from across our Nation. Every day you have inspired me,” Brown, the nation’s second Black person to serve as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote.  

“It has been my distinct honor to conclude my career as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman, I focused on Warfighting, Modernization, and Trust. The Joint Force’s commitment to our security has never been more critical. I’m confident you will continue to stand resolute in defense of our Nation. Sharene and I wish you and your families all the best. Thank you for your leadership.”

Some supported his removal while others were outraged including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity of which Brown is a member. 

“The Fraternity sees his dismissal as part of a larger agenda to demonize Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), remove highly qualified African Americans and people of color from positions of power and influence as well as effectively eliminate and ‘whitewash’ all public aspects of the country from national observances, educational access and curriculum as well as citizenry,” the group wrote in a statement regarding Brown’s dismissal.