At the end of last week, President Trump added to an ever-growing list of changes his administration has enacted during his first month and a half in office. This time a personnel change, Trump released several high-ranking officers at the Pentagon, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown.

Trump posted a statement on Truth Social: “I want to thank General Charles’ CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”

General Brown crafted a farewell message on LinkedIn: “Every day, you have inspired me. It has been my distinct honor to conclude my career as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” He continued, “As Chairman, I focused on Warfighting, Modernization, and Trust. The Joint Force’s commitment to our security has never been more critical. I’m confident you will continue to stand resolute in defense of our Nation. Sharene and I wish you and your families all the best.”

Immediately following his announcement of firing Brown, Trump declared his nominee to fill the role would be retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine. The unprecedented move was the first time a military general had been pulled out of retirement to become the chair of the Joint Chiefs.

The move to fire Brown was one of a slew of changes for Pentagon leadership. Trump is removing Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim Slife and U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is also replacing the judge advocates general for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Additionally, over the weekend, he let go Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, the senior military assistant to the defense secretary.

The firings were met with numerous criticisms from Democrats, like Senator Jack Reed (R.I.), who said, “This appears to be part of a broader, premeditated campaign by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to purge talented officers for politically charged reasons, which would undermine the professionalism of our military and send a chilling message through the ranks.”

Hegseth quickly confronted the objections with an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” On the program, he defended the president’s actions, saying, “The president deserves to pick his key national security advisory team.” He also compared Trump’s actions with past presidents, such as President Obama, who he said “fired or dismissed hundreds” of military officials.

On Monday, Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told Tony Perkins on “Washington Watch,” “President Trump got elected. He’s a commander in chief. He gets to put together his team, so that’s exactly what the president should do. He’s got his agenda. He got elected. He was very clear what he’s going to do, and so I think this is absolutely appropriate what he’s doing with regard to picking the military leaders that he believes will help defend this country.”

Perkins responded by mentioning the complications that Trump experienced in his last term because of certain military officials. “He didn’t do this last time, and it became a problem for him his entire four years,” Perkins said. Scott agreed, saying, “I think Milley was a disaster as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” He explained his confusion over why Trump had not fired Milley in the first term, and reiterated his belief that the president is doing the right thing with the recent staff changes. He added, “It’s no different than what you should be doing. If you build a business, you build your own team of people. Whatever you’re going to run, you build a team that believes in your mission, and that’s what he’s doing right here.”

Perkins questioned “how deep into the ranks” Trump would have to go to create a “course correction when it comes to the mission of the military.” Scott believes that multiple layers of military authority will have to be dismissed: “I’m concerned that he’s going to have to go deep […], you have to build a team that believes in President Trump’s agenda.”

Now that President Trump has made nominations to fill several of these positions, the Senate must confirm each. Perkins asked Scott about the criteria for senators voting for confirmation for the candidates Trump selected and whether Trump’s desire to build his new team will be “considered when these general officers come before the Senate.”

Senator Scott indicated that they would consider the president’s authority during the confirmation process. He responded to Perkins, “[W]e know that the commander in chief was elected to lead our troops, so it’s something that we’re going to take into consideration when we approve or not approve officers.”