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Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise to discuss the nomination of Lt. Gen. Dan Caine to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I am glad that we will soon be voting on this nominee.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is one of, if not the, most important positions in the U.S. military. The Chairman serves as the principal military adviser to the President, the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, and Congress. They are expected to be an unparalleled strategist, adviser, and manager, and their counsel is invaluable as we confront the multitude of national security issues before us.

General Caine testified before the Armed Services Committee last week and represented himself well. He has had a distinguished career in the Air Force and the Air National Guard as an F-16 pilot with thousands of flight hours and multiple combat deployments. He has also served in senior leadership roles at the Pentagon, the White House, and overseas, including in the special operations and intelligence communities. If confirmed, General Caine would be the first career National Guard officer to serve as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

I appreciate General Caine's record of service and thank him for stepping forward to lead once again. However, we must be clear about the unprecedented circumstances that led to General Caine's nomination. Two months ago, President Trump abruptly dismissed Gen. CQ Brown, who was not even halfway into his tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Secretary of Defense Hegseth also dismissed several other senior officers, including ADM Lisa Franchetti, the Chief of Naval Operations; Gen. James Slife, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff; Gen. Jennifer Short, the senior military adviser to the Secretary; and all three Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Last week, President Trump dismissed Gen. Timothy Haugh, the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director of the National Security Agency, at the urging of Laura Loomer, a fringe conspiracy theorist. And on Monday, we learned that Secretary Hegseth had dismissed VADM Shoshana Chatfield, the U.S. Military Representative to NATO.

To this day, no credible explanation has been given for the dismissal of a single one of these officers.

We cannot pretend that this is normal or acceptable behavior by the Commander in Chief and Defense Secretary. One by one, they are purging officers, threatening others, and undermining the fundamental principles of our military.

I will speak more about this later, but I am deeply concerned that these officers were dismissed for political reasons. I have long warned about the dangers of firing military servicemembers as a political loyalty test, and I will continue to sound the alarm about this behavior. I must say that that the silence from my Republican friends on this issue is very troubling. Even as Republicans vote to confirm General Caine, I hope they recognize the dangerous message that President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are sending throughout the ranks: Don't speak your mind or give your best military advice, or you may face consequences. I urge my Republican colleagues to join me in demanding an explanation from the President and Defense Secretary.

I would take a moment to salute Gen. CQ Brown, who served this Nation honorably for more than four decades and led the Joint Chiefs with dedication and skill. He and each of the officers who were dismissed had outstanding careers in the military and represented our Nation with great courage, honor, and distinction. We owe all of them a debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

We are fortunate that General Caine understands the fraught situation within which he has been nominated to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. During his hearing, General Caine repeatedly agreed that the military must remain apolitical. When he was asked how he would guard against politicization of the military, General Caine said, ``It starts with being a good example from the top and making sure that we are nonpartisan and apolitical and speaking the truth to power every day.''

I was also relieved by General Caine's response to my question about President Trump's claim that that he once said he ``loved'' President Trump and would ``kill'' for him while donning a ``Make America Great Again'' hat. During the hearing, General Caine categorically denied that this incident happened and stated, ``I've never worn any political merchandise or said anything to that effect.''

As the Nation's seniormost military officer, it will be his responsibility to understand the needs of America's servicemembers and to be their greatest advocate. If confirmed, he will be the most visible military officer in the Nation. It will be critical for him to represent the force with total professionalism and trustworthiness. In my conversations with General Caine and after speaking with those who know him best, I have found him to be an honest, smart, and principled military officer. He understands the momentous national security challenges we face and has pledged to represent our servicemembers with professionalism and discipline.

Ultimately, I am optimistic that General Caine will provide his best military advice to the President and the Secretary of Defense, even if that advice not what they would want to hear. The Senate Armed Services Committee approved his nomination by a wide, bipartisan margin, and I intend to vote in favor of General Caine now.

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