Caine is a career fighter jet pilot who defended Washington, D.C., during the 9/11 attacks and been adored by Trump since they met in Iraq during Trump's first term.

The general made an impression in 2018 when he said, according to the president, that the Islamic State could be defeated in a week.

President Trump ousted Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., a President Biden appointee, who served as the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday. “I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country,