LEXINGTON, Va., Feb. 22, 2025—Congratulations to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John “Dan” Caine ’90 on his nomination to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His experience since graduating from the Institute with a degree in economics includes 150 combat flight hours as an F-16 pilot, roles as a White House fellow at the Agriculture Department and a counterterrorism specialist on the White House’s Homeland Security Council under President George W. Bush, and as an associate director for military affairs at the C.I.A. from 2021 to 2024.

Caine was on post for the Class of 2026 Ring Figure where he spoke to cadets about the ongoing importance of VMI's mission and lessons: “Wear your rings with pride. Live with honor. Be humble, be grateful, and go forth and do the things that you must do to bring this nation to a better place."

Caine's nomination follows an earlier selection by President Donald J. Trump of VMI alumnus retired U.S. National Guard Col. Mike Waltz ’96 as national security advisor. Waltz previously served the nation as a member of Congress and was a defense policy director for defense secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. He was also a U.S. Army Green Beret.

Waltz has returned to post multiple times to meet with and speak to cadets. He spoke to the Class of 2022 and their dykes following Breakout in 2019 and was part of the delegation, along with Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy '96, to accompany Vice President Michael R. Pence in 2020.

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