US secretary of defense had questioned whether history-making air force general CQ Brown Jr got job because of raceDonald Trump abruptly fired the air force general CQ Brown Jr as chair of the joint chiefs of staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making Black fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to purge the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.The ouster of the second Black general to serve as chair of the joint chiefs comes three months after Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, outlined a plan for ridding the US military of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts during a podcast interview. Continue reading...
President Trump dismissed CQ Brown Jr., the first Black chairman of the joint chiefs, as part of a campaign to remove military leaders advocating for diversity. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously called for Brown's removal and questioned whether his appointment was based on race. Hegseth had outlined plans to eliminate diversity initiatives in the military. Brown, a respected officer, had been celebrated by Trump in 2020 for his historic appointment. Trump replaced Brown with retired General Dan Caine, whom he praised for supporting his rapid defeat of ISIS claims. Additionally, Trump announced plans to replace other high-level military leaders, causing significant upheaval in the Pentagon.