Downsizing at the Pentagon

Trump dismisses US Chief of Staff Brown

US President Donald Trump has announced the replacement of Chief of Staff Charles Brown.

(Bild: AFP/Daniel ROLAND)

Change of leadership in the US armed forces: In the wake of a wave of redundancies at government agencies, US President Donald Trump has announced the replacement of Chief of Staff Charles Brown.

He nominated the former Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Caine as the successor to the army chief appointed by Joe Biden in 2023. Trump did not give a reason for Brown's dismissal.

Caine replaces Brown
Trump thanked Brown on his online platform Truth Social on Friday for "his more than 40 years of service" and praised him as an "outstanding leader".

Caine was "an accomplished pilot, national security expert and successful entrepreneur". He is also a "warrior" and has "significant interagency and special operations experience," Trump wrote.

Trump appoints the former Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Caine as the new army chief.

(Bild: U.S. Air Force via AP)

Caine still has to be confirmed by the Senate as the country's top soldier and the president's most important military advisor.

Brown must vacate post early
Brown was the second African-American to hold the post of US military chief after Colin Powell (1989 to 1993). He took office in October 2023. He will have to vacate his post as head of the army less than two years before the end of his four-year term of office.

According to a biography of Brown's designated successor, Caine served in the US Air Force as Deputy Director of Military Affairs at the CIA and in various operational and staff functions. Like his predecessor Brown, he is an experienced Air Force pilot of F-16 fighter jets with more than 2,800 flight hours, more than 150 in combat.

Massive staff cuts at the US Pentagon
Meanwhile, there are massive staff cuts at the Pentagon: the US Department of Defense is laying off at least five percent of its civilian employees from next week. According to a Pentagon statement on Friday, existing civilian employees are to be reduced by "five to eight percent". The first redundancies "starting next week" will affect 5,400 probationary employees.

The US Department of Defense is the largest employer in the USA. It employs more than 900,000 civilians alone. This means that cuts of five percent would affect more than 45,000 jobs in total.

Hiring freeze imposed
Following the layoffs, a hiring freeze will be imposed "while we conduct further analysis of our staffing needs," according to a statement from Darin Selnick, the official responsible. According to the statement, the planned layoffs are aimed at "achieving efficiencies and aligning the Department with the President's priorities and restoring the readiness of the Armed Forces".

The US Department of Defense is laying off at least five percent of its civilian employees from next week.

(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/ALEX WONG)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had already made a similar statement the day before. In a video message, he said: "We will say goodbye to the 'Woke' programs of the Biden era and instead spend the money on President Trump's 'America First' priorities, peace through strength". The planned redistribution of funds is about "refocusing and reinvesting existing funds into building a force that protects you, the American people".

Doge to find "superfluous" spending
On Thursday, Hegseth also announced that the new efficiency department of the US government would receive far-reaching authorizations in the Pentagon. The department, known as the Doge (Department of Government Efficiency), will work to find "superfluous" spending and "the last remnants" of the programs deemed a priority by former President Joe Biden.

Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has been rapidly restructuring government agencies. His special advisor Elon Musk plays a central role in this. The tech billionaire has been tasked with drastically reducing staff and costs at federal agencies.