Brown, a retired Air Force general appointed by Joe Biden, was sacked Friday night as part of a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.

Shortly after, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Admiral Lisa Franchetti and General James Silfe, as the head of the Navy and vice chief of staff for the Air Force, respectively. 

After his election victory, it was rumored that Trump wanted to create a 'warrior board' of retired ex-military personnel to weed out 'woke generals' deemed unfit for leadership.

Some believed a target of that initiative would be Brown, a widely respected former fighter pilot and military commander who steers clear of politics.

The four-star general, who is black, issued a video message about discrimination in the ranks in the days after the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, and has been a voice in favor of diversity in the U.S. military.

Trump announced Brown's departure - on seemingly friendly terms, in his words - in a post to social media on Friday night.

'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.' 

The ouster of Brown, only the second Black general to serve as chairman, is sure to send shock waves through the Pentagon. His 16 months in the job had been consumed with the war in Ukraine and the expanded conflict in the Middle East. 

Trump acted despite support for Brown among key members of Congress and a seemingly friendly meeting with him in mid-December, when the two were seated next to each other for a time at the Army-Navy football game. 

Brown had been meeting regularly with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who took over the top Pentagon job just four weeks ago.

Vice Preisdent JD Vance, voted as a senator in 2023 against confirming Brown to become the top U.S. military officer, and has been a critic of perceived resistance to Trump's orders within the Pentagon.