On his Truth Social account, President Trump named US Air Force Lt. General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing General CQ Brown:
TEXT:
I want to thank General Charles “CQ” Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.
Today, I am honored to announce that I am nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience.
During my first term, Razin was instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate.
It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. Many so-called military “geniuses” said it would take years to defeat ISIS.
General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered.
Despite being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the previous administration, General Caine was passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden. But not anymore!
Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military.
Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon.
Thank you for your attention to this matter!
General Caine’s official biography (last updated in Feb 2022) shows that he graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1990 with a degree in Economics.
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine was sworn in as the Associate Director for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C., Nov. 3, 2021. His most recent assignment was as the Director of Special Programs and the Department of Defense special Access Program Central Office at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia, where he served as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all programs protected under special access controls. He has served in a wide range of operational, staff and joint assignments, primarily as an F-16 fighter pilot, weapons officer, member of the White House staff and special operations officer.
Lt. Gen. Caine was commissioned in 1990 through the ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute and he has a Master of Arts in Air Warfare from the American Military University. He has completed a range of national security and leadership courses, including Harvard Kennedy School’s course for Senior Executives in National and International Security, and the Syracuse University Maxwell School’s Program on National Security. As a command pilot, he has logged more than 2,800 hours in the F-16, including more than 150 combat hours. From 2009-2016, Caine was a part-time member of the National Guard and a serial entrepreneur and investor.
EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Arts, Economics, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington
1998 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
1999 Air Force Weapons School Instructor Course, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
2001 Air Force Air to Ground Operations School, Nellis, AFB, Nev.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2005 Master of Arts, Air Warfare, American Military University, Charles Town, W.Va.
2006 White House Fellow, Air Force Fellows Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
2012 North American Aerospace Defense Command/U.S. Northern Command Joint Task Force Commander Training Course, Peterson AFB, Colo.
2012 Senior Leaders Maintenance Course, Washington, D.C.
2017 Joint and Combined Warfighting Course (JPME-2), Norfolk, Va.
2019 Capstone, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2019 Senior Executives for National and International Security, The Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass.
2020 Advanced Senior Leader Development Seminar (ASLDS), Arlie Center, Warrenton, Va.
2020 National and International Security Leadership Seminar (NISLS), Alan L. Freed Associates, Alexandria, Va.
2021 National Security Studies Management Course (NSSMC), Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1992–December 1993, Student, EURO-NATO Undergraduate Pilot Training, 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
2. January 1994–April 1994, F-16 Pilot/Assistant Training Officer/Scheduling Officer, 138th Fighter Squadron, Syracuse Air National Guard Base, N.Y.
3. April 1994–June 1995, F-16 Pilot/Assistant Weapons Officer, 138th FS, Syracuse ANG, N.Y.
4. June 1995–November 1995, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Chief of Scheduling and Training, 138th FS, Syracuse ANG, N.Y.
5. November 1995–April 1998, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Chief of Training, 138th FS, Syracuse ANG, N.Y.
6. April 1998–July 1998, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Chief of Weapons, 138th FS, Syracuse ANG, N.Y.
7. July 1998–January 1999, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Chief of Weapons, 121st FS, Andrews AFB, Md.
8. January 1999–June 1999, Student, F-16 Fighter Weapons School, 57th Fighter Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. June 1999–November 2001, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Flight Commander/Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 121st FS, Andrews AFB, Md.
10. November 2001–February 2002, F-16 Mission Commander/Chief of Group Weapons and Tactics, 332nd Air Expeditionary Group, Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait
11. February 2002–January 2003, Counter SCUD Project Officer, United States Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
12. January 2003–May 2003, F-16 Mission Commander/Flight Commander/Chief of Wing Weapons and Tactics, 410th Air Expeditionary Wing, location masked
13. May 2003–January 2005, Chief of Weapons and Current Operations, ANG AFRC Test Center, Tucson ANG, Ariz.
14. January 2005–August 2005, Director of Operations, ANG AFRC Test Center, Tucson ANG, Ariz.
15. August 2005–September 2006, White House Fellow, Special Assistant to the Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
16. October 2006–January 2008, Policy Director for Counterterrorism and Strategy, White House Homeland Security Council, Executive Office of the President, Washington, D.C.
17. January 2008–July 2008, J3 and Commander, Joint Special Operations Task Force – Air Directorate, Balad, Iraq
18. July 2008–November 2010, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Mission Commander, 121st FS, Andrews AFB, Md. (July 2008–March 2010, Special Tactics Air Liaison Officer, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Joint Special Operations Command, Pope AFB, N.C.)
19. November 2010–June 2012, Director of Operations (A3)/Deputy Director of Joint Operations (J3), Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia ANG, Washington, D.C.
20. June 2012–June 2014, Commander, 113th Maintenance Group, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
21. June 2014–May 2016, Director of Joint Operations and Training (J3), Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia ANG, Washington, D.C.
22. May 2016–June 2016, Deputy Commanding General, Air, Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia ANG, Washington, D.C.
23. June 2016–May 2018, June 2016–May 2018, Assistant to the Vice Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, Special Operations Command Washington Office, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. and Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. (concurrently)
24. May 2018–September 2019, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Central Command Special Operations Component and Deputy Commanding General – Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (Iraq) (concurrently)
25. September 2019–September 2021, Director, Special Programs and Director, Special Access Programs Central Office, Va.
26. September 2021–November 2021, Special Assistant to the Chief, National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C.
27. November 2021–present, Associate Director for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. February 2002–January 2003, Counter SCUD Project Officer, United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., as a major
2. August 2005–September 2006, White House Fellow, Special Assistant to the Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
3. October 2006–January 2008, Policy Director for Counterterrorism and Strategy, White House Homeland Security Council, Executive Office of the President, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
4. January 2008–July 2008, J3 and Commander, Joint Special Operations Task Force – Air Directorate, Balad, Iraq, as a lieutenant colonel
5. June 2016–May 2018, June 2016–May 2018, Assistant to the Vice Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, Special Operations Command Washington Office, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. and Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. (concurrently), as a brigadier general
6. May 2018–September 2019, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Central Command Special Operations Component and Deputy Commanding General – Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (Iraq) (concurrently), as a brigadier general
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: 2,800 hours, to include more than 100 combat hours
Aircraft flown: T-37, T-38, F-16
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device and four bronze oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with bronze campaign star
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Air Force Expeditionary Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with hourglass device
Air Force Training Ribbon
Presidential Service Badge
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1992 Distinguished Graduate, EURO-NATO Undergraduate Pilot Training
1999 Outstanding Graduate, USAF F-16 Weapons School
2004 Lieutenant General Claire Chennault Award as the Air Force’s Outstanding Aerial Tactician
Multiple Civilian Pilot Ratings, including Air Transport Pilot
PUBLICATIONS
“The Air Force Book”, The Air Force Association, September 11th vignette
“Concept of Operations for the location, identification and destruction of Scud Missiles”, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003
“Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned Report”, The White House, March 2006
“The National Strategy for Homeland Security”, The White House, October 2007
(Current as of February 2022)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Statement on General Officer Nominations
Who is Gen. ‘Raisin’ Caine, the man behind Trump’s plan to eradicate ISIS in 4 weeks? (Washington Examiner, 24 Feb 2024)
Former President Donald Trump revived the story of Gen. “Raisin” Caine during the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday.
Here is an explanation of the man he was referring to.
Trump recalled a conversation he had with Air Force Lt. Gen. John D. Caine in December 2018 while Caine was stationed in Iraq.
At the time, he was deputy commanding general over the Special Operations Joint Task Force there. He remained there for over 18 months.
CSPAN referred to him as “Dan ‘Razin’ Caine” when he spoke at a forum in homage to 9/11. Trump’s campaign returned the Washington Examiner’s request to confirm he was the same general from the former president’s story. The Pentagon refused to comment on the matter.
Caine allegedly told Trump that ISIS was “not tough,” but “they just don’t let us do our job.”
The general then went on to promise the then-president that ISIS could be defeated in a matter of four weeks, per Trump’s retelling Saturday, which was nearly identical to how he told the story back in 2019.
Trump’s advisers allegedly told him at the time it would take four years.
Trump claimed Caine donned a “Make America Great Again” hat during their meeting, even though it was not allowed.
The general went on to receive many awards during his service, among them an Iraq Campaign Medal and a Presidential Service Badge. Caine serves as the CIA’s Associate Director for Military Affairs, where he has been since 2021.
According to the agency, Caine is the “primary interlocutor between CIA and the Department of Defense.”
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