The 22nd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS)

Gen. Dan Caine

Responsibilities

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the senior ranking member of the Armed Forces and the primary military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council, acting as conduit between the executive branch and the top military officials from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines Corps, Space Force, and National Guard. In his new capacity, Caine exercises no combatant authority over military forces, nor do the Joint Chiefs of Staff he mantels; that jurisdiction is held by the combatant commands.

Stated Priorities

• Work with US Strategic Command to maintain the nuclear triad.
• Preserve alliances and partnerships, including NATO in Europe.
• Streamline the Pentagon. In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Caine promised to “pick up the speed, pace and tempo” of fielding new and advanced technological capabilities, saying that “new technology is in startup companies and small businesses, not just in existing prime defense contractors.” 

Policy Quote

“I’m encouraged by the leaders who are coming into the department who have deep, substantive business backgrounds that are not known as people who admire problems.”  

Military Service

• Deputy Commanding General, US Central Command Special Operations Component, and Deputy Commanding General, Special Operations Joint Task Force, Operation Inherent Resolve (Iraq). Served both positions concurrently from 2018-2019. While in Iraq, he met up with President Donald Trump, then in his first administration. According to a 2019 speech made at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump was impressed by Caine’s strategy of approaching the Islamic State conflict in a different manner. “Sir, we can have it totally finished in one week,” Trump recounted him saying. 
• Assistant to the Vice Commander of US Special Operations Command (2016-2018).  
• F-16 Instructor Pilot and Chief of Weapons for the 121st Fighter Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base (1998-1999). 

• F-16 Instructor Pilot for the 138th Fighter Squadron, in Syracuse, NY (1994-1998).
• Served in the Air Force and Air National Guard as weapons officer and F-16 Command Pilot, logging more than 2,800 hours, including 150 combat hours.

Intelligence/Public Service

Prior to his confirmation as CJCS and his subsequent promotion to four-star general, Caine held multiple posts within the civilian foreign intelligence service:

• Associate Director for Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The position, called ADMA, acts as principal director to the CIA Director about military issues. (2021-2024).

• Special Assistant to the Chief, National Guard Bureau, Washington, DC. (Sept. 2021 to Nov. 2021). Attained the rank of Lt. Gen. in 2021. 
• Director of Special Programs and the Department of Defense Special Access Program Central Office at the Pentagon, which is given oversight of any classified information on weapons programs being shared with foreign governments.
• Principal Staff Assistant and Advisor to the Secretary of Defense (2019-2021).
• Policy Director for Counterterrorism on the White House Homeland Security Council. 
• Chair of the SBA Veterans Small Business Advisory Committee, which provides related advice to the President, Congress, and others.
• Advisor to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, which selects recipients yearly.
• A White House fellow with the Department of Agriculture (2005-2006). 

Business Career

• In keeping with several other presidential appointees, Caine comes to the job with a background in finance. The Joint Chiefs of Staff’s bio sketch calls the newly-appointed CJCS “a part-time member of the National Guard and a serial entrepreneur and investor” between 2009 and 2016. 

• Named chairman of the newly created Defense & National Security Advisory Board of Voyager Space (Jan, 2025), a defense and space technology company based in Denver, CO. 
• Founder of The Caine Group, LLC, in 2010, an investment and consulting firm that focuses on aerospace and defense, national security, homeland security, real-estate, cyber, and energy sectors. Headquartered in Texas, the company has offices in Tennessee and California.
• A partner in Shield Capital, which lists as a “a venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies building technology in artificial intelligence, autonomy, cybersecurity, and space.”
• President of Tailwind Technologies, a holding company specializing in transitions, acquisitions, and sales of manufacturing companies. Founded in 1987, it is located in Piqua, OH. 
• COO of Rise Air, an independent, regional airline in Saskatchewan.

Education/Ratings & Training

• B.A. in Economics from the Virginia Military Institute (1990). Commissioned through the ROTC program.

• M.A. in Air Warfare from the American Military University (2005).
• Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Al – 2004 (by correspondence). Received the Lieutenant General Claire Chennault Award as the Air Force’s Outstanding Aerial Tactician.

• Air Force Air to Ground Operations School, Nellis AFB – 2001. (Caine was the airborne mission commander over Washington, D.C. on 9/11 of that same year. 
• Air Force Weapons School Instructor Course, Nellis AFB – 1999. Named Outstanding Graduate.
• Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB – 1998 (by correspondence).
• Completed national security and leadership courses, including the Syracuse University Maxwell School’s Program on National Security and the Harvard Kennedy School’s course for Senior Executives in National and International Security. 

Affiliations/Awards

Caine has garnered more than 20 awards during his course of service, ranging from the Bronze Star with bronze oak leaf cluster to the Distinguished Service Medal.

Early Years

John Daniel Caine was born on Aug.10, 1968, in Elmira, NY, to Catherine Johnston Caine and Lt. Col. Steve “Cobber” Caine, a retired Air Force fighter pilot who flew the F-4 and the F-16, among others. “Cobber”, previously a teacher, credits his wife for giving him the support he needed to switch careers and achieve his goals, despite the constraints of having two children. He was commissioned in 1970. Years later, father and son would fly in formation during an F-16 check-out ride. It was “a great experience,” said the elder Caine. An interview with Col. Steve Caine can be seen here.

Personal

• Caine graduated from Hahn American High School in Hahn, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
• Married Erin Colleen Carty in 2003. Together, they have two daughters.