JOHN YANG: Good evening.

I'm John Yang.

President Trump's shakeup of Washington reached the Pentagon as he fired several top military leaders, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the admiral leading the Navy.

Last night, Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said they were dismissing Air Force General C. Q.

Brown as the country's senior military officer, Admiral Lisa Franketti, the first woman to lead the Navy, General James Slife, the vice chair of the Air Force, as well as the top lawyers for the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The president has selected retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Kaine to be the new Joint Chiefs chairman.

That job requires Senate confirmation.

Mr. Trump has spoken highly of Caine since meeting him in Iraq during his first term, Eric Edelman has served in several senior positions in the State and Defense Departments under both Republican and Democratic presidents.

He's now at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

Mr. Edelman, how unusual is this, a new president coming in his first month, getting rid of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and a bunch of other leaders?

ERIC EDELMAN, Former Undersecretary of Defense For Policy: It's unprecedented, John, as far as I'm aware, we've had presidents relieve other senior commanders of positions.

Of course, President Truman relieved General MacArthur during the Korean War.

President Obama relieved General Stan McChrystal.

But that was for cause and in this instance, no cause has been given.

So it's really unprecedented as far as I can see.

We've had previous presidents who wanted to put their own chairman in.

President Kennedy, for instance, wanted to have Max Taylor become chairman, but he waited until General Lyman Lennitzer, who was the chairman in those days, complete his term before replacing him.

JOHN YANG: What do you think the effect is going to be on the military of this?

Not only the changing of the command, but also the message that President Trump appears to be sending?

ERIC EDELMAN: Well, overall, I think, you know, this is going to be very disruptive.

Along with the exercise that Secretary Hegseth announced for 8 percent either cuts or reallocation of funds, I think people are still very uncertain about that.

The firings that have been announced and the appearance that what the president's looking for is personal loyalty rather than institutional loyalty that, you know, all of the senior military officers have undertaken as a result of their oaths when they took their positions.

They swear an oath to the Constitution, not to an individual president, although they clearly understand that they are under civilian control.

JOHN YANG: What can you tell us about Dan Caine, the man that President Trump wants as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs?

ERIC EDELMAN: I don't know General Caine.

I know General Brown reasonably well.

I really can't comment on General Caine other than to say he's had an honorable and distinguished career in the military as well.

But he is not a four star general.

He retired as a three star.

And under the Goldwater Nichols statute, the chairmanship traditionally and by law has been a four star who was either vice chairman, a service chief, or one of the combatant commanders under the Unified Command Plan.

JOHN YANG: The, the top lawyers of the three services were also dismissed, the Judge Advocate Generals, or JAGs, as they're known.

During his confirmation hearings, Hegseth talked about what he didn't like about some military lawyers.

Let's take a listen to what he had to say.

PETE HEGSETH, Secretary of Defense: It would be a JAG officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the war fighters, their promotions, their medals in front of having the backs that those are, making the tough calls on the front lines.

JOHN YANG: What's he talking about there?

ERIC EDELMAN: It's hard to know specifically what he's talking about, but he may be talking about some of the court martials for war crimes that took place during the Trump first term, which the president interceded in and pardoned the people who were involved.

You know, I think that's a dangerous, actually precedent, dangerous attitude.

I mean, the JAGs are there essentially to make sure that orders are followed, that orders conform to the laws of armed conflict, to Title 10, the U.S. code that outlines the responsibilities of the Department of Defense and the military, the Constitution and whatever international obligations the United States has under treaties.

And so, you know, I fear that what is happening here is that they are looking for JAGs who will essentially commit to validate and adjudicate any order coming out of the White House as a lawful order.

JOHN YANG: Talk a little bit more about that.

What are the dangers?

What are the possible consequences of that?

ERIC EDELMAN: Well, you know, during the campaign in 2016, President Trump said that he might order the military torture people who are captured, terrorists captured on the battlefield.

That is a war crime.

That is illegal under U.S. statutes, and it would be an unlawful order.

And if there are no JAGs to impose that interpretation and make it clear that is not lawful, the president might be able to force military officers into doing things that they know are not correct, not right.

JOHN YANG: Former Pentagon official Eric Edelman, thank you very much.

ERIC EDELMAN: Thanks for having me, John.