In a break from a long US tradition of retaining previous appointments to the country’s top military post, President Donald Trump has named a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Thanking incumbent General Charles Q. Brown for 40 years of service – including in his most recent position – the president on Friday night wished him and his family a “great future” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump nominated former Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Caine to succeed Brown in the post, which is directly subordinate to the US Secretary of Defense.

In previous changes of government, the incumbent chairman was usually retained. According to the New York Times, Brown was only the second African-American to hold the top job in uniform.

Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly said shortly after his own nomination that Brown should be dismissed because of his focus on diversity, equity and inclusion issues in the military.

In total, the administration dismissed six top Pentagon executives, including Navy chief Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to head the US Navy.

Trump praised Caine on Truth Social as an “accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a ‘warfighter’ with significant interagency and special operations experience.”

In the fight against the Islamic State terrorist militia in Iraq, Caine had “delivered” and ensured that the so-called caliphate was annihilated in record time, Trump wrote.

Despite his high qualifications, Caine was passed over by the previous administration under Joe Biden when it came to filling senior posts, according to Trump. “But not anymore!” he added.

As a retired soldier, Caine would have to be called back into service to take up the position, according to the Times. The US Senate also still has to confirm the appointment.