John D. Caine

"Dan Caine" redirects here. For other people with similar names, see Daniel Caine.

John D. Caine
Official portrait, 2021
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1990–2024, 2025–
Rank	Lieutenant general
Commands	Central Intelligence Agency Special Access Programs Central Office 113th Maintenance Group
Battles / wars	Iraq War Operation Inherent Resolve
Awards	Defense Superior Service Medal Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal (2)

John Dan Caine is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general who served as the associate Director for Military Affairs of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2021 to 2024. ^[1]

He served as the director of Special Access Program Central Office of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment from 2019 to 2021. Previously, he was the deputy commanding general of the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. ^{[2] [3]} In October 2021, Caine was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general. ^[4]

On February 21, 2025, Caine was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace CQ Brown, whom Trump abruptly fired, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ^{[5] [6]} The two had previously met, with Caine telling him, according to Trump: "I love you, sir. I think you’re great, sir. I’ll kill for you, sir." while wearing a MAGA hat. ^[5]

Education

• 1990 Bachelor of Arts, Economics, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington
• 1998 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
• 1999 Air Force Weapons School Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nevada
• 2001 Air Force Air to Ground Operations School, Nellis AFB, Nevada
• 2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
• 2005 Master of Arts, Air Warfare, American Military University, Charles Town, West Virginia
• 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, Colorado
• 2012 Senior Leaders Maintenance Course, Washington, D.C.
• 2017 Joint and Combined Warfighting Course (JPME-2), Norfolk, Virginia
• 2019 Capstone, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
• 2019 Senior Executives for National and International Security, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• 2020 Advanced Senior Leader Development Seminar (ASLDS), Arlie Center, Warrenton, Virginia
• 2020 National and International Security Leadership Seminar (NISLS), Alan L. Freed Associates, Alexandria, Virginia
• 2021 National Security Studies Management Course (NSSMC), Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York

Assignments

• November 1992 – December 1993, Student, EURO-NATO Undergraduate Pilot Training, 80th Flying Training Wing, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas
• January 1994 – April 1994, F-16 Pilot/Assistant Training Officer/Scheduling Officer, 138th Fighter Squadron, Syracuse Air National Guard Base, N.Y.
• April 1994 – June 1995, F-16 Pilot/Assistant Weapons Officer, 138th FS, Syracuse ANG, N.Y.
• June 1995 – November 1995, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Chief of Scheduling and Training, 138th FS, Syracuse ANG, N.Y.
• November 1995 – April 1998, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Chief of Training, 138th FS, Syracuse ANG, N.Y.
• April 1998 – July 1998, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Chief of Weapons, 138th FS, Syracuse ANG, N.Y.
• July 1998 – January 1999, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Chief of Weapons, 121st FS, Andrews AFB, Md.
• January 1999 – June 1999, Student, F-16 Fighter Weapons School, 57th Fighter Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.
• June 1999 – November 2001, F-16 Instructor Pilot/Flight Commander/Chief of Weapons and Tactics, 121st FS, Andrews AFB, Md.
• November 2001 – February 2002, F-16 Mission Commander/Chief of Group Weapons and Tactics, 332nd Air Expeditionary Group, Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait
• February 2002 – January 2003, Counter SCUD Project Officer, United States Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
• January 2003 – May 2003, F-16 Mission Commander/Flight Commander/Chief of Wing Weapons and Tactics, 410th Air Expeditionary Wing, location masked
• May 2003 – January 2005, Chief of Weapons and Current Operations, ANG AFRC Test Center, Tucson ANG, Ariz.
• January 2005 – August 2005, Director of Operations, ANG AFRC Test Center, Tucson ANG, Ariz.
• August 2005 – September 2006, White House Fellow, Special Assistant to the Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
• October 2006 – January 2008, Policy Director for Counterterrorism and Strategy, White House Homeland Security Council, Executive Office of the President, Washington, D.C.
• January 2008 – July 2008, J3 and Commander, Joint Special Operations Task Force – Air Directorate, Balad, Iraq
• 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.)
• November 2010 – June 2012, Director of Operations (A3)/Deputy Director of Joint Operations (J3), Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia ANG, Washington, D.C.
• June 2012 – June 2014, Commander, 113th Maintenance Group, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
• June 2014 – May 2016, Director of Joint Operations and Training (J3), Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia ANG, Washington, D.C.
• May 2016 – June 2016, Deputy Commanding General, Air, Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia ANG, Washington, D.C.
• 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)
• 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)
• September 2019 – September 2021, Director, Special Programs and Director, Special Access Programs Central Office, Va.
• September 2021 – November 2021, Special Assistant to the Chief, National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C.
• November 2021 – December 2024, Associate Director for Military Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government .

1. "JOHN D. CAINE". www.af.mil.
2. "National Guard > Leadership > Joint Staff > Special Staff > Senior Leader Management Office > General Officer Management > bio-show". www.nationalguard.mil. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
3. "BG Caine visits Mosul, Iraq". DVIDS. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
4. "PN1260 - 1 nominee for Air Force, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. 2 November 2021.
5. Cooper, Helene; Schmitt, Eric (22 February 2025). "Dan Caine, Trump's Joint Chiefs Pick, Had Unusual Path to Top Ranks". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331.
6. "Trump fires chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and two other military officers". AP News. 22 February 2025.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Military offices
Preceded by James F. Glynn	Deputy Commanding General of Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve 2018–2019	Succeeded by ???
Preceded by Dawn Dunlop	Director of Special Access Program Central Office of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment 2019–2021	Succeeded by David W. Abba
Preceded by Colin J. Kilrain	Associate Director for Military Affairs of the Central Intelligence Agency 2021–2024	Succeeded by Michael L. Downs