In February 2025, President Donald Trump named Caine as his nominee as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Caine was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in April. He is the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who never served at the rank of four-star general or admiral before being nominated and he is the first to be nominated while in retirement.[b]
After his graduation from the USAF Weapons School he returned to his previous role with the 121st Fighter Squadron.[8] Caine was among the pilots who protected Washington, D.C., in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks[11][12] as the chief of weapons and tactics for the squadron.[13] From November 2001 to February 2002 he was the chief of group weapons and tactics for the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing in Kuwait and until January 2003 he was a counter-SCUD project officer for U.S. Central Command, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.[8] During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Caine developed a plan to counter Scud missiles possessed by Iraqi forces.[14] Caine was the chief of weapons and tactics for the 410th Air Expeditionary Wing until May 2003, when he was assigned to the Test Center at the Tucson Air National Guard Base, Arizona, as its head of operations. He held that position until August 2005, and in 2004 he completed the Air Command and Staff College by correspondence.[8] Starting in 2005 he worked at the White House, and from October 2006 to January 2008 Caine was the policy director for counterterrorism and strategy at the Homeland Security Council. From January to July 2008 he was back in Iraq as the commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force – Air Directorate.[8]
As of February 2025, Caine has 150 combat hours and two tours in Iraq.[18] He has a total of 2,800 flight hours, including more than 100 combat hours in the F-16.[19]
In 2010 he founded The Caine Group, an investment and consulting firm focusing on national security and homeland security.[4]
His LinkedIn page notes that he has advised Voyager, a space technology company.[16][21] In January 2025, he joined Shield Capital, a venture capital firm.[22] Caine is a partner at Ribbit Capital and an advisor for Thrive Capital.[13] He was the co-founder and chief operating officer of Rise Air, an airline company acquired by Surf Air in 2017 and not to be confused with 100% Native-owned Rise Air in Saskatchewan.[23] His Air Force service biography describes him as a "serial entrepreneur and investor".
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2025–present)
According to The New York Times, Caine met with Trump and vice president J.D. Vance during the week prior to the announcement of the nomination.[24] The Times later reported that Caine was considered for the position over Michael Kurilla, the commander of United States Central Command.[25]Title 10 of the United States Code requires the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be selected from the officers of the regular components of the armed forces and only if the officer had served as a combatant, unified, or specified commander, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or, if the officer had served as the highest uniformed officer in one of the six military service branches (although that requirement may be waived if "necessary in the national interest").[24]
Caine's nomination was sent to the Senate on 10 March.[26] He testified before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on 1 April.[27] The committee voted to advance his nomination 23–4 on 8 April.[28] Caine was confirmed on 11 April in a 60–25 vote.[29] He was promoted to a four-star general prior to the vote.[30] Caine was sworn in on 14 April.[31] He is the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who never served at the rank of four-star general or four-star admiral before assuming the position[16] and the first to have been retired at the time of confirmation. Caine is the second retired general to serve as chairman after Maxwell Taylor in 1962, although Taylor had been recalled to active duty the year prior to his appointment (after he had retired in 1959).[1] Caine is the first chairman since Hugh Shelton in 1997 who never served within the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[1] He is the first Air National Guardsman to become chairman.[28]
Caine, with Michael Kurilla, the commander of United States Central Command, led plans for the U.S. military to strike at Iranian nuclear sites in 2025.[37] He appeared with secretary of defense Pete Hegseth to provide details on the strike the following day. Caine's muted description of the strikes contrasted with Hegseth's assertion that mirrored Trump's description that the strikes had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear sites.[38] At a second press conference with Hegseth days later, Caine focused on the service members responsible for the strike, which was interpreted as seeking to avoid politicizing the military while serving Trump's interests.[39] According to The Wall Street Journal, the strikes, in addition to his follow-up comments, helped earn Caine the trust of Trump.[40]
↑Maxwell Taylor who had been called back into active duty in 1960 after retiring in 1959, was nominated as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1962 by president John F. Kennedy.[1]
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