Trump’s nominee becomes chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff with 60 votes against 25.
The US Senate has confirmed Air Force General Dan Caine as chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff after his predecessor’s abrupt sacking two months ago.
Caine’s nomination by President Donald Trump was approved with some bipartisan support by an overnight vote on Friday of 60 to 25 before a two-week recess.
At his confirmation hearing earlier this month, he promised to be apolitical and said he would be candid in his advice to Trump.
When asked by Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin if he would “stand up and push back” if ordered to direct the military to do something potentially illegal, Caine said it was “duty and the job that I have, yes”.
Last week, at his confirmation hearing, Caine told senators that he would “continue the traditions and standards of my oath of office and my commission as a nonpartisan leader who will always strive to do the right thing”.
But Caine, who has served in various positions, including associate director for military affairs at the CIA, and flown more than 150 hours in combat as an F-16 fighter jet pilot, does not meet the prerequisites for the Joint Chiefs of Staff position in the 1986 law.
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The legislation outlines that the chairman must have been a combatant commander or service chief. However, the president can waive requirements if “such action is necessary in the national interest”.
Trump’s relationship with Caine dates back to his first administration when they met during a trip to Iraq.
Still, his confirmation comes after Joint Chiefs chairman, General Charles “CQ” Brown, the second Black general to serve in the position, was dismissed as part of a sweeping cull of military leaders who support diversity and equity shortly after Trump came to power in January.
Other senior officers dismissed this year include the heads of the Navy and Coast Guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO, and three top military lawyers.