Retired Gen. CQ Brown cautions against troops in U.S. cities for political missions

Brown says officers removed from promotion lists on non-merit basis

Retired Gen. CQ Brown offered his most direct critique of the Trump administration’s handling of the military in an essay published Friday in Foreign Affairs magazine and in an appearance the previous week at the Aspen Institute.

Brown, who was forced out as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February 2025, cautioned against sending the military into American cities for what he called “politically contentious missions” such as fighting crime, saying such deployments risk compromising the armed forces’ traditionally apolitical role and diverting it from its primary combat mission.

“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,” Brown wrote with co-authors Peter Feaver and Andrew Kragie. “And as [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 essay followed an appearance at an Aspen Institute discussion on civil-military relations where Brown voiced concerns about Pentagon moves to remove officers from promotion lists and push high-ranking personnel into retirement.

“What is starting to happen now, it is not about merit,” Brown said at the discussion. “All of these people who are being removed are very well experienced.”

Brown’s comments come as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his aides have removed officers from promotion lists and pushed others toward retirement, including Gen. Chris Donahue, who officially relinquished his post Thursday as the top Army officer in Europe after the Pentagon downgraded his command.

Brown, who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents, sought to strike a nonpartisan tone in his essay, noting that both parties have expanded the military’s domestic role during periods of national crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. He did not criticize President Trump by name or mention Hegseth.

His careful language contrasted with the blunt remarks of his predecessor, Gen. Mark Milley, who said in his 2023 exit speech that American troops take an oath to the Constitution and do not report to a “wannabe dictator,” a reference to Trump.

Brown’s message was still clear, including his apparent concerns about the Trump administration’s deployment of thousands of troops to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago and other cities. The White House said the show of force was needed to fight lawlessness. Following legal challenges, the administration ended efforts to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., though Guard members remained on patrol in Washington, D.C.

In his essay, Brown wrote: “In the face of a genuine national disaster, the public will readily embrace the military’s help. 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.”

Brown, now an executive-in-residence at Duke University, co-wrote the essay with Feaver, who served on the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration and is an expert on civil-military relations, and with Kragie, a Duke alumnus and lawyer.

Frank Kendall, who served as Air Force secretary during the Biden administration, said Brown had been “the model of an apolitical military professional” and was speaking out of concern for the armed forces.

Brown, an African-American officer and former fighter pilot, was nominated by Trump in 2020 to serve as Air Force chief of staff. Trump at the time said on social media that Brown was “a Patriot and Great Leader.” Brown was later picked by President Joe Biden to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the second Black general to hold the post after Gen. Colin Powell.

In his 2024 book “The War on Warriors,” Hegseth questioned whether Brown was selected for the top military post because he was Black. In February 2025, Hegseth called Brown while he was in Texas reviewing the border mission to inform him he was being removed. Trump announced the decision in a social media post.

During his Aspen Institute appearance, Brown said the personnel decisions were creating doubts among those still serving. “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?” he asked. “Anecdotally, I know some folks that have some concerns about that, whether they are going to have a fair shot.”