President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign led by his defense secretary to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.

Five former U.S. defense secretaries on Thursday condemned President Donald Trump's "reckless" firing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior officers and called on Congress to halt any confirmation of their successors.

Trump’s first defence secretary James Mattis among five to express alarm at ‘reckless’ dismissals of top military figures