WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump has formally nominated retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John D. Caine for appointment to the rank of general and to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the nomination in a statement.

Caine, a career fighter jet pilot, was among the US Air Force pilots tasked with protecting Washington, DC during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. He later served in the Middle East in the fight against ISIS (Daesh) and worked at the CIA.

The nomination follows the dismissal of Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023. Brown’s removal came amid a broader shake-up at the Pentagon, with Hegseth accusing him of supporting a “woke” agenda in the military.