Retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, President Donald Trump’s choose to be the nation’s highest-ranking navy officer, sought to reassure lawmakers Tuesday that he would keep away from political interference and was certified for the job, regardless of having a resume in contrast to anybody beforehand tapped for the place.
“I acknowledge that I’m an unconventional nominee,” Caine mentioned. “These are unconventional instances.”
In a affirmation listening to earlier than the Senate Armed Providers Committee, the final confronted repeated questions over his health to guide the Joint Chiefs of Workers and the way he was even nominated.
Trump tapped Caine in February after firing the earlier chairman, Gen. CQ Brown, who was little greater than a yr right into a four-year time period. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth additionally fired different prime officers, together with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Air Pressure Vice Chief of Workers James Slife.
The mass dismissals had no precedent and have apprehensive many Democrats that the president was forcing politics into the navy. Hegseth beforehand steered each Brown and Franchetti, the primary Black and feminine officers to carry their respective posts, had been overly involved with variety or unqualified for his or her positions.
“With all due respect to you, we shouldn’t be right here at present. This listening to is occurring solely due to the unprecedented dismissal with out explanation for Common Brown,” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, mentioned Tuesday.
Senators from each events described Brown’s firing as “unlucky,” although they acknowledged that Caine had no position within the choice.
Including to these issues was Caine’s personal nomination. The overall had beforehand held prime posts main U.S. particular operations and advising the Central Intelligence Company’s director on navy affairs. However he had since retired and lacked the seniority required by legislation to be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, which the president can waive in circumstances of urgent nationwide safety want.
Much more regarding to some senators was a narrative Trump beforehand associated about Caine donning a pink hat branded with Trump’s “Make American Nice Once more” marketing campaign slogan and expressing political assist in entrance of U.S. troops throughout a 2018 go to to Iraq.
Caine denied the story in his listening to Tuesday, suggesting the president could have been referencing another person.
“I’ve by no means worn any political merchandise or mentioned something to that impact,” Caine mentioned.
Senators requested repeatedly whether or not he would stay candid whereas offering the most effective navy recommendation to the president, the chairman’s most essential perform. Democrats, specifically, pressed the final about whether or not he would achieve this within the face of displeasure from the president, which brought about friction with previous chairmen in Trump’s first time period.
Retired Gen. Mark Milley, specifically, fell out with Trump in 2020 after a controversial look in Lafayette Sq. outdoors the White Home, the place legislation enforcement had aggressively cleared out protesters. Milley later mentioned he regretted the looks, and he criticized Trump after the president left workplace.
Trump, in flip, eliminated Milley’s portraits from the Pentagon and reduce his safety element.
Caine additionally confronted a number of questions in regards to the administration’s use of Sign, a industrial messaging app, to plan navy strikes on Yemen. Prime nationwide safety officers mentioned the assaults whereas mistakenly together with a journalist on the chat. Hegseth additionally despatched extremely delicate assault plans to the group, detailing U.S. strikes earlier than they occurred.
Caine averted commenting instantly on the chat, which he described as “political.” However he mentioned that he would keep away from sharing labeled info on improper codecs if confirmed.
“We must always at all times protect the ingredient of shock,” Caine mentioned.
Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Protection Information. He beforehand coated nationwide safety for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s diploma in English and authorities from the School of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.
