Trump Removes Joint Chiefs Chairman C.Q. Brown

Trump removed General Charles Q. Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before the end of his term and announced a successor who did not meet the usual statutory experience requirements for the position without an accompanying waiver.

The removal of a sitting Joint Chiefs chairman before his term's completion is uncommon and drew attention because the position is intended to provide continuity of senior military advice largely insulated from political turnover. Appointing a successor who required a waiver of ordinary statutory qualifications added to concerns about the politicization of senior military leadership and whether experience standards were being set aside for reasons unrelated to military qualification.

The removal and appointment proceeded as announced, with no legal outcome reported in the scaffold record.