General Dan Caine
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
John Daniel Caine was born in August 1968 in Elmira, New York. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Air Force ROTC. He completed the Euro-NATO Jet Pilot Training Program and joined the New York Air National Guard in Syracuse. He availed himself of educational opportunities in the military, and later earned a master’s degree in air warfare from the American Military University.
Caine flew F-16s with various squadrons and became an instructor pilot and chief of weapons. He was among the pilots who protected Washington, D.C., after the attacks on September 11, 2001. Caine developed counter weapons and tactics and became head of operations at an Air National Guard Base test center in Tucson, Arizona. He later served in the White House Homeland Security Council. He then commanded the Joint Special Operations Task Force – Air Directorate in Iraq.
Caine also pursued entrepreneurial and investment opportunities during stints as a part-time Air National Guard member. He served as a special assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture during the response to Hurricane Katrina. He also served the Homeland Security Council as a policy director for counterterrorism. Caine co-founded a regional airline.
Caine was nominated to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Donald Trump in March 2025. He was confirmed by the Senate, and assumed his position in April.
General Caine is a command pilot with more than 2,800 flying hours, including 100 combat hours in the F-16.
In the News…
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said that the U.S. military was ready to resume combat operations in Operation Epic Fury “at literally a moment’s notice.”
General Caine explained, “This blockade applies to all ships regardless of nationality heading into or from Iranian ports. The U.S. action is a blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline. Not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Enforcement will occur inside Iran’s territorial seas and international waters.”
“More than 10,000 sailors, Marines, and airmen, over a dozen ships, and dozens of aircraft are executing this mission,” the Joint Chiefs chairman said. “The most important thing — important weapon — on board these ships is the American sailor. Over 300 warfighters are the heart and soul of these warships. At sea sometimes for months, and these ships, out in the CENTCOM AOR, have been out there for months. They operate around the clock in a constant state of readiness, delivering for our joint force.”
The general concluded, “These are incredibly well-trained sailors. They are led by incredible leaders, salty, experienced leaders and trusted with deep responsibility. And I’m so humbled and proud of America’s Navy. These sailors choose to take the road less traveled to go into the historic surface navy, and they deliver every single day.”
