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Even with DOGE on the move, the firings of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C. Q. Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti stunned Washington.
In part, that’s because no one got fired over national security issues during the Biden years, not even when they deserved it. Not for the botched Afghanistan withdrawal, not for bad estimates about Russia’s intentions in Ukraine, not for the open southern border, not even for the lapse in nuclear command and control when Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in the hospital.
TRUMP NOMINATES AIR FORCE LT. GEN. DAN ‘RAZIN’ CAINE FOR JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN
Of course, presidents have fired generals before. President Donald Trump fired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, an active-duty Army officer who served as National Security Adviser until March 2018. Former President Obama fired Gen. Stanley McChrystal in 2010 due to remarks he made to Rolling Stone. And who can forget former President Truman’s firing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, after he speculated to the press about using 50 atom bombs on China during the Korean War in 1951.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown speaks during a press briefing, April 26, 2024, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
The fact is, four-star officers know they can be let go any moment. It’s a job risk.
To be clear, Brown departs with great credit for the way he rallied American airpower to defend Israel against Iran’s two vicious drone and missile attacks last year. At one point, every type of fighter in the U.S. Air Force inventory from F-22s to A-10s was deployed to Central Command, alongside a rotating cast of five aircraft carriers, and that was Brown’s handiwork.
However, Friday’s firings at the Pentagon can succeed if they lead to better preparedness against China. My real concern here is the Navy. This is a critical moment, and the Navy is in dire need of strong leadership.
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You see, Adm. Franchetti wasn’t the only sailor to walk the plank this week. In case you missed it, the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman was relieved Feb. 20, after his 90,000-ton nuclear-powered ship scraped paint with an Egyptian cargo vessel near Port Said, in the Mediterranean. That is absolutely not supposed to happen. Taking over is Capt. Christopher Hill, a TOPGUN naval flight officer with the call sign “Chowdah” due to his Massachusetts roots. Hill will temporarily command both his ship, the USS Eisenhower, just back from combat in the Red Sea, and the Truman.
The Navy has a bigger problem than collisions. The Navy needs aircraft carriers more than ever to deter China. But two of the next carriers, CVN-80 and CVN-81, are behind schedule as they await large castings parts and more workers at shipyards. We are talking about America’s most unique and effective fighting platform for the Pacific.
Admiral Lisa Franchetti (U.S. Navy)
With the CNO slot open, President Trump needs a carrier admiral to step in. It has been 25 years since a naval aviator led as Chief of Naval Operations. During that time period, China has built hundreds of new navy ships, including three aircraft carriers, and now poses a serious threat to the Pacific. In response, the Navy is adding drones to the carrier decks, and getting ready to unveil an advanced, secret new fighter plane program, providing the first new carrier-based strike fighter with a pure Navy design since the 1980s. The Navy needs a steady hand to push out more combat power.
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And yes, for you skeptics, aircraft carriers can survive and fight even in the age of hypersonics. Recent technological developments – from Aegis terminal missile defense to Standard Missile-6 on the F/A-18EF Superhornet to cool stuff involving space superiority – will keep the carrier in the fight, and hitting hard at the enemy. Don’t take my word for it. The previously mentioned Capt. Hill has called the fast-moving Nimitz and Ford-class carriers the “least vulnerable ships ever built.” At war, “when fixed U.S. air bases on land are being pummeled by cruise missiles and artillery, aircraft carriers will be on the move,” he wrote for the U.S. Naval Institute’s blog in 2020.
That’s the spirit.
Building up the Navy to deter China demands exceptional leadership and a high priority on preparing to fight. Let’s hope President Trump’s next choice for CNO will provide it.
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Dr. Rebecca Grant is vice president of the Lexington Institute.