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How did Dan Caine become the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

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U.S. Pres. Donald Trump first met Dan Caine in 2018, when Caine was a one-star general leading operations in Iraq and Syria. The president would later recount how he learned of Caine’s nickname after Caine told him that the Islamic State (ISIS) could be defeated more quickly if the military were given more firepower. In February 2025 Trump nominated Caine to the role of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after firing Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.