The Senate confirmed retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff early Friday morning, with a vote of 60 to 25. This decision followed a delay initiated by Democrats, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who protested President Donald Trump’s dismissal of the former military leader, Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr. The senators, preparing for a two-week recess, argued that Brown’s removal was unwarranted.

Despite the lack of clarity surrounding Brown’s exit, Caine garnered bipartisan support during a notably uneventful confirmation hearing, facing no significant opposition to his appointment as the senior uniformed leader of the United States military. The Senate Armed Services Committee, which oversaw the hearing, voted 23-4 to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the committee’s chair, urged his colleagues on Wednesday to expedite Caine’s confirmation, citing the ongoing military expansion of China and the formation of alliances among rivals against U.S. interests.