Gen Dan Caine is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Trump’s principal military adviser.
Caine advises Trump on military options, risks and capabilities but does not directly command US forces.
His role has become more important as the Iran war continues alongside diplomatic efforts over the Strait of Hormuz.
More than five months into the war between the US, Israel and Iran, Gen Dan Caine has become a key military adviser to President Donald Trump on the conflict. As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Caine is the highest-ranking officer in the US military and the principal military adviser to the president, the secretary of defence and the National Security Council. His role has become particularly important as Washington weighs military pressure against a diplomatic route out of the conflict.
Caine is not the architect of Trump’s Iran policy, nor does he directly command US forces conducting operations. His job is to advise civilian leaders on the military options available, their risks and the capabilities required to carry them out. That means assessing what American forces can accomplish, what resources an operation would require and what risks could follow. As the war has continued, those calculations have become harder, with questions over air-defence interceptors, the protection of US forces and the ability to sustain another major round of attacks.
His advice matters as diplomacy has returned to the centre of efforts to end the Iran conflict. Trump has said he wants a deal that can end the war and resolve the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, but he has also kept the threat of renewed military action on the table. Reuters reported this week that Trump believes the war could end soon, while negotiations over Hormuz remained unresolved. That keeps the Pentagon preparing for the possibility that diplomacy succeeds — or that fighting resumes.
Who Is Dan Caine?
Caine became the 22nd chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April 2025 after Trump nominated him to replace Air Force Gen Charles Q Brown Jr. His selection was unusual because Caine had retired as an Air Force lieutenant general before Trump brought him back to active service for the country's highest military post.
Caine is an F-16 fighter pilot with more than 2,800 flight hours, including more than 150 combat hours. His career has included assignments in special operations, the White House and the CIA, where he served as associate director for military affairs. Reuters reported that Trump first became interested in Caine after meeting him during a visit to Iraq and was impressed by his military and intelligence experience.
His experience spans conventional military operations, intelligence and special operations — areas that have all been central to the Iran conflict.
Caine's relationship with Trump also came under scrutiny before the war. Reuters reported that Trump had received briefings describing an attack on Iran as a high-risk, high-reward operation, including assessments of possible casualties and the difficulty of completely destroying Iran’s nuclear programme. Trump later rejected reports that Caine had advised him against military action.
The distinction is important: Caine can advise the president, but the decision to use military force belongs to the civilian leadership. Likewise, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs does not exercise operational command over US forces. The chain of command runs from the president and secretary of defence to the relevant combatant commander.
What Is Caine’s Role In Trump’s Iran Strategy?
Caine’s role is to advise civilian leaders on the military options available to achieve their objectives. If Trump orders an operation, senior military leaders have to determine what forces, weapons and support are required, how American personnel will be protected and what the likely consequences could be.
That role became visible when the US began its military operation against Iran on February 28. Reuters reported that Caine and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth monitored the opening strikes from Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Days later, Caine gave reporters an initial timeline of the operation and described the military's objectives and actions.
Caine has also been a public voice on the performance of Iranian forces. In March, he said Iran was fighting back but was not proving more formidable than the US military had anticipated. Al Jazeera reported that Caine said he respected Iran's resistance while maintaining that its forces were not stronger than expected.
The more difficult issue has been sustainability. The United States has had to protect troops and bases across the region while conducting a prolonged air campaign. Reports have also raised concerns about supplies of air-defence interceptors. Al Jazeera reported that concerns over US air-defence interceptor stocks had become part of the debate over the sustainability of the campaign, while US officials pushed back against claims that American munitions stocks were dangerously low.
For Caine, therefore, the question is not simply whether the US can strike Iran. It is whether Washington can continue doing so while defending its personnel, maintaining sufficient air defences and preserving military capacity for other contingencies.
Recent reporting has also highlighted Caine’s role in discussions over how the conflict could end. A report on August 8 said Caine had urged senior Trump administration officials to consider an “off-ramp” from the war as concerns grew over the risks and limits of continued military action.
Where The Iran War Stands Now
The war began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The conflict later moved through a ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding, but the arrangement subsequently came under strain as disputes over the nuclear issue, shipping and the Strait of Hormuz remained unresolved. Al Jazeera reported that the renewed fighting followed escalating tensions over shipping in the waterway, while Washington and Tehran accused each other of violating commitments under the earlier understanding.
Hormuz is now central to the effort to end the war. Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG shipments passed through the strait. Iran has sought a role in managing traffic through the waterway, while Washington has rejected arrangements that would give Tehran control over international shipping. Oman has played a central mediating role in the discussions.
The latest discussions have produced some movement. Reuters reported on August 5 that Iran and Oman had reached an understanding on the geographic coordinates of a shipping route through Hormuz. The following day, the Associated Press reported that the proposed arrangement involved Iran overseeing inbound traffic and Oman managing outbound traffic, with disagreements remaining over fees, control and the conditions for reopening the waterway.
On August 7, Reuters reported that Washington expected an agreement between Iran and Oman that could allow unrestricted commercial shipping through the strait. A US official said the United States would lift its blockade of Iranian ports if the agreement were finalised and Iran fulfilled its commitments. The arrangement remained conditional, however, and Washington continued to oppose any outcome that would undermine free international passage.
The diplomatic picture remains unsettled. Trump has described the new talks as Iran’s “last chance” and linked them to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resolving the nuclear dispute. Iran, meanwhile, has disputed Washington’s description of direct talks. The Associated Press reported that important differences remained even as the two sides explored an arrangement over the waterway.
That uncertainty keeps Caine’s role important. Even while diplomats work on Hormuz and the broader dispute, the US military has to remain prepared for another escalation. Caine’s role is not to decide whether the US should make peace or go to war. It is to tell the president what military options are available, what they would require and what risks they would carry.
