A Clash Over a Promotion Puts Hegseth at Odds With His Generals – The New York Times
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown on list to be possibly removed by Hegseth
C.Q. Brown and Lisa Franchetti are on a list of general officers Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could fire or remove from their current jobs, officials say. The president has the authority to remove any general or senior officer from their position and reassign them, should they refuse a request to resign. If forced out of a current role, there might not be another opening available for them, and such relief of authority is generally a career-ender. Both officers had been criticized by Heg seth prior to his becoming defense secretary during the Trump administration. Heg Seth also criticized Franchetti in his book, “The War on Warriors,” criticizing her for lack of combat experience and mocking her master’s degree from the University of Phoenix online college. “The military standards, once the hallmark for competency, professionalism, and ‘mission first’ outcomes, have officially been subsumed by woke priorities,” he wrote in the book. “Either you’re in for warfighting, and that’s it. That’s the only litmus test we care about.”
Spokesmen for both Brown and Franchetti declined to comment. CNN was first to report their names were on the list for possible removal.
“We are aware of the reports but have nothing to add,” the spokesman for Franchetti told ABC News.
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Brown serves as the president’s top military adviser and has been chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since October 2023, his four-year tenure is supposed to end in 2027.
PHOTO: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Q. Brown Jr. at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Jan. 27, 2025. (Shawn Thew/EPA via Shutterstock )
MORE: Hegseth could soon fire or remove generals and senior officers, US officials say
Franchetti has been the chief of naval operations since November 2023.
The president has the authority to remove any general or senior officer from their current position and reassign them, should they refuse a request to resign. Three- and four-star generals or admirals only hold those ranks while in certain senior leadership roles. If forced out of a current role, there might not be another opening available for them, and such relief of authority is generally a career-ender.
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Both officers had been criticized by Hegseth prior to his becoming defense secretary during the Trump administration.
“First of all, you’ve got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,” Hegseth said in a November appearance on the “Shawn Ryan Show.”
“But any general that was involved — general, admiral, whatever — that was involved in any of the DEI woke s— has got to go,” he continued. “Either you’re in for warfighting, and that’s it. That’s the only litmus test we care about.”
Hegseth went after Franchetti in his book, “The War on Warriors,” criticizing her for lack of combat experience and mocking her master’s degree from the University of Phoenix online college.
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“If naval operations suffers, at least we can hold our heads high. Because at least we have another first! The first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — hooray. For social justice ideologues, PR matters more than reality,” he wrote.
Hegseth also criticized Brown several times in the book.
“The military standards, once the hallmark for competency, professionalism, and ‘mission first’ outcomes, have officially been subsumed by woke priorities,” he wrote. “You think C.Q. Brown will think intuitively about external threats and internal readiness? No chance. He built his generalship dutifully pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians, who in turn rewarded him with promotions.”
PHOTO: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during join press conference with Poland’s Defense Minister after their meeting at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Warsaw on Feb. 14, 2025. (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images)
MORE: Hegseth directs Pentagon to find $50 billion in cuts this year to fund Trump military priorities
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Also in his book, Hegseth cast doubt as to whether Brown merited his promotion to be America’s top general.
“We’ll never know, but always doubt — which on its face seems unfair to C.Q.,” he wrote. “But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it really doesn’t much matter.”
Brown was nominated under the first Trump administration in early 2020 to become the first Black Air Force chief of staff. While awaiting Senate confirmation for that job, Brown began to share his thoughts on racial injustice in the military after George Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests. As the top Air Force general in the Pacific, Brown put out a video where he described racial incidents he had experienced.
Brown has also been vocal about what he sees as the importance of race-based diversity in the military. In 2022, while chief of staff of the Air Force, Brown signed a memo calling for the service to work toward lowering the percentage of white officer applicants while raising those of other races.
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When asked by ABC News’ Martha Raddatz in January 2024 whether how important diversity, equity and inclusion is to the military, Brown said, “Depending where you grew up, when you come into our military, this may be the most diverse experience you’ve ever had.”
“In order for us to be leaders, we need to know the backgrounds and understand some things about those we’re privileged to lead,” he added. “And that’s the value of some of our programs. So, we get a chance to know a little bit more about their, you know, culture, history, experiences and building that personal connection.”
At his confirmation hearing in January, Hegseth danced around a question about whether he would fire Brown when asked by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., if Brown might be on a list of senior officers to be removed from their jobs, saying, “Senator, every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy standards, lethality and commitment to lawful orders they will be given.”
PHOTO: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives at the Pentagon for the first time since being confirmed after being greeted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q Brown, Jan. 27, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Win Mcnamee/Getty Images)
MORE: Video Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s first official day at the Pentagon
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But there were some positive signs for Brown beginning last December, when he had an amiable encounter with Trump at the Army-Navy football game. Hegseth met Brown briefly at the Army-Navy game, where Brown and then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met for 20 minutes during the second quarter of the game and talked about football.
Then on Jan. 27, on Hegseth’s first day arriving at the Pentagon as secretary, he seemed to give another sign of softening his position in regard to the general.
Brown saluted Hegseth as his motorcade arrived, then shook his hand as the two exchanged pleasantries. With Brown by his side, Hegseth approached a line of waiting reporters and took several questions, including one on whether he intended to fire the general.
“I’m standing with him right now,” Hegseth said, patting Brown on the shoulder. “I look forward to working with him.”
Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown on list to be possibly removed by Hegseth originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
General’s promotion blocked in first sign of Trump retaliation for Afghanistan pullout
Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue was nominated for promotion to become a four-star general and to oversee U.S. Army forces in Europe. The move by Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin follows threats from President-elect Donald Trump to fire senior officers and officials who oversaw the chaotic pullout from Afghanistan in 2021. It also comes as Trump’s transition team weighs possible court-martial proceedings against current and former officers involved in the withdrawal, as NBC News previously reported.Donahue is currently commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. His promotion could now be at risk as the current Senate will soon go into recess and the new Republican-controlled Congress will start its work in 2025.
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A Republican senator has blocked the promotion of a general who oversaw troops in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a Senate aide.
The move by Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin follows threats from President-elect Donald Trump to fire senior officers and officials who oversaw the chaotic pullout from Afghanistan in 2021. It also comes as Trump’s transition team weighs possible court-martial proceedings against current and former officers involved in the withdrawal, as NBC News previously reported.
Army Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue was nominated for promotion to become a four-star general and to oversee U.S. Army forces in Europe. His nomination was among more than 900 proposed nominations sent to the Senate, but Donahue’s was put on hold by Mullin, according to the Senate aide.
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Mullin’s office declined to comment.
Donahue was the last American service member to board the final U.S. military plane out of Afghanistan in 2021. A night-vision photograph of Donahue boarding a cargo plane went viral, capturing the symbolism of the end of America’s 20-year war.
Senator Markwayne Mullin speaks to the press in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
After the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan fell to Taliban militants, Donahue — then commander of the 82nd Airborne Division — was ordered to Kabul to oversee the withdrawal of U.S. forces, American Embassy staff and Afghans who fought alongside American troops.
Retired Gen. Tony Thomas, former head of Special Operations Command, said in a social media post that the decision was a “disgrace” and that Donahue was being treated as a “political pawn.”
Heather Nauert, who worked for the State Department in Trump’s first presidential term, said in a social media post that she is a Trump supporter and likes Mullin but disagreed with the hold put on Donahue’s promotion.
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“Unless there are facts I don’t know, holding up military promotions bc of our disgraceful Afghanistan withdrawal is wrong,” she wrote.
Donahue is currently commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in North Carolina.
His promotion could now be at risk as the current Senate will soon go into recess and the new Republican-controlled Congress will start its work in 2025.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
How to Stay Safe From Rip Currents, and What to Do if You’re Caught in One
At least three dozen people in the United States have drowned in the surf so far this summer, most of them caught in rip currents. Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swept away at a Costa Rican beach known for rip currents on a day when there was no lifeguard on duty. Earlier in July, Chase Childers, a former minor league baseball player, died after rushing into the surf in Pawleys Island, S.C
At least three dozen people in the United States have drowned in the surf so far this summer, most of them caught in rip currents, channels of water that flow away from the shore and can drag people along, according to the National Weather Service, which tracks surf-zone deaths across the country.
As the summer holidays get in full swing, reports of rescues and fatalities tend to rise.
Mr. Warner, the American actor best known for playing Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” was swept away at a Costa Rican beach known for rip currents on a day when there was no lifeguard on duty, the local authorities said. Earlier in July, Chase Childers, a former minor league baseball player, died after rushing into the surf in Pawleys Island, S.C., to save swimmers in a rip current, the police said.
In Australia, an average of 26 people drowned each year in rip currents, statistics from 2011 to 2021 show.
A Clash Over a Promotion Puts Hegseth at Odds With His Generals
Pete Hegseth decided not to promote a senior Army officer who had led troops over five tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He suspected, without evidence, that the officer had leaked sensitive information to the news media.
When Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II was cleared of the allegations, Mr. Hegseth briefly agreed to promote him, only to change course again early this month, the officials said. This time, Mr. Hegseth maintained that the senior officer was too close to Gen. Mark Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff whom President Trump has accused of disloyalty.
Mr. Hegseth’s sudden reversal prompted a rare intervention from Gen. Dan Caine, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He urged Mr. Hegseth to reconsider, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Trump’s First Executive Order May Be a Military Purge
An executive order draft is floating around MAGA world. It would establish a Trump-appointed “warrior board’ with the power to purge any three- or four-star generals as it sees fit. The board would send its dismissal recommendations to Trump and they would be acted upon within 30 days. It’s not yet clear if Trump will sign the executive order, but he has held vitriol toward certain military leaders for some time now.
An executive order draft is floating around MAGA world that would establish a Trump-appointed “warrior board” with the power to purge any three- or four-star generals as it sees fit. The board would send its dismissal recommendations to Trump and they would be acted upon within 30 days.
The draft executive order, which was first reported on by The Wall Street Journal, makes it easy to quickly remove military officials “lacking in requisite leadership qualities” but leaves open the question of what those requisite qualities are. The executive order draws on General George C. Marshall’s 1940 creation of a “plucking board” led by retired general officers to “remove from line promotion any officer for reasons deemed good and sufficient.” But that plucking board was to uplift young officers with high potential, not to cull anyone not perfectly aligned with MAGA.
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It’s not yet clear if Trump will sign the executive order, but Trump has held vitriol toward certain military leaders for some time now. He has vowed to weaponize them against the “enemy within,” to fire anyone involved in the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and to create a task force to weed out “woke generals.”
“This looks like an administration getting ready to purge anyone who will not be a yes man,” former Army lawyer Eric Carpenter told The Wall Street Journal. “If you are looking to fire officers who might say no because of the law or their ethics, you set up a system with completely arbitrary standards, so you can fire anyone you want.”
This draft may be ready to see President-elect Trump’s desk on day one.