Retired General CQ Brown Jr. Warns of Long-Term Harm from Trump’s Domestic Military Deployments

Retired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. has raised serious concerns about President Donald Trump’s military policies, warning that deploying troops for domestic law enforcement missions and removing senior officers could inflict lasting damage on the armed forces.

Brown, who was dismissed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February 2025, outlined his criticisms in a Foreign Affairs essay published Friday and elaborated during an Aspen Institute discussion last week. Without naming Trump or War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Brown argued that using troops to address politically charged missions in American cities risks diverting the military from its core 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.”

The comments follow the Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of troops early in the president’s second term to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and other cities, claiming the moves were necessary to restore law and order. Court challenges later ended National Guard deployments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon, though Guard members remain on duty in Washington.

Brown also expressed deep concern about the Pentagon’s recent restructuring of senior military leadership, stating merit should remain 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 emphasized his primary worry centers 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? Anecdotally, I know some folks that have concerns about that, whether they are going to have a fair shot.”

Brown’s remarks come as Hegseth continues overhauling the Pentagon’s senior leadership, including Gen. Chris Donahue, who relinquished command Thursday as the Army’s top officer in Europe after the Pentagon downgraded his command. A former fighter pilot, Brown was nominated by Trump in 2020 to become Air Force chief of staff—making him the first Black officer to lead a U.S. military branch—and later selected by Former President Joe Biden to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Hegseth questioned Brown’s elevation to the nation’s top military post in his 2024 book, “The War on Warriors.” Brown was removed from the chairmanship in February 2025 after Hegseth informed him of the decision while he was in Texas reviewing the administration’s border mission, with Trump later announcing the move publicly.