The U.S. Senate confirmed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a 60-25 vote on Friday, officially filling the nation’s top military post nearly two months after President Donald Trump ousted the previous chairman.
The confirmation vote came just before lawmakers departed Washington for a two-week recess. Caine’s appointment received bipartisan support, with 15 Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine joining Republicans in backing the nomination.
Caine, a decorated F-16 combat pilot, brings a deep background in special operations and intelligence. He has held leadership roles in several of the Pentagon’s most classified programs and worked closely with the CIA. Despite his extensive military career, Caine does not meet the statutory prerequisites for the role—requirements set in a 1986 law mandating service as a combatant commander or military service chief. However, the president can waive those rules if doing so is deemed in the national interest, which Trump has done.
Trump’s relationship with Caine dates back to his first term in office. The two met during a visit to Iraq, an encounter the former president recalled fondly during a 2019 speech. Trump has praised Caine as “a real general, not a television general,” a remark that appeared to contrast Caine with other high-profile military leaders.
Caine’s confirmation marks a significant step in shaping Trump’s post-reelection national security team and reasserting his influence over the military’s leadership structure.