Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has removed one of the most powerful officers in the military.
Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, has been relieved and sent back to the Navy.
According to reports, he was not “a good fit” for the role.
Kacher has been serving in the Navy since 1990, having been promoted to vice admiral in January 2023 under the Biden administration. He was quickly appointed as the commanding officer of the Seventh Fleet.
After Trump took office, he was appointed as the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, assisting the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as advising the secretary of defense and president on all military matters.
After roughly eight months at his post, Hegseth has decided that Kacher was not working out, and he has been removed from the post.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, lauded Kacher for his service and said the Navy will be “happy” to have him back.
On paper, Caine and Kacher should have been a good fit.
Caine has a monstrous and well-deserved fruit salad on his chest, which includes the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Bronze Star with an oak leaf cluster. He has served in Operation Southern Spear, Operation Midnight Hammer, Operation Inherent Resolve, the Iraq War, and Operation Southern Watch.
Kacher was the XO of the USS Barry, the commander of the USS Stockdale, as well as serving as the commander of Destroyer Squad 7. He served in the Gulf War, and his medals include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit.
Considering Kacher was appointed after Caine, this should have been a good match, but it clearly was not.
What has me curious is if this was a move by Caine or by Hegseth. These are only whispers, but those whispers have stated that Caine and Hegseth do not always see eye-to-eye on things, and I can understand why.
Caine is a career officer who served in multiple war zones. Hegseth served for about 10 years with split time in the Minnesota Army National Guard and the DC Army National Guard. He was deployed during the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan, as well as having been awarded a Bronze Star, but his time served and experience pale in comparison to what Gen. Caine has seen and done.
My understanding from my military contacts is that Hegseth is seen as someone who loves his photo ops, but does not truly have the respect of the troops, and I would have to imagine that goes up the command tree. This would be like a lifetime executive being told what to do by a college graduate.
With everything that is going on right now, Trump cannot afford to have turnover at the highest ranks, so let’s hope this was a joint decision and not Hegseth firing from the hip.
