Senator Thom Tillis urges Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over military leadership turmoil

Republican Senator Thom Tillis called on President Donald Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his “inept management” of the military.

The North Carolina lawmaker, who previously served on the Senate Armed Services Committee, lambasted Hegseth Wednesday following the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who had reportedly clashed with Hegseth over the ouster of top military leaders.

Tillis commended Driscoll for being the “right man at the right moment to lead our Soldiers and Army civilians,” before launching into a tirade against Hegseth.

“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country. He is intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force,” Tillis wrote on X.

Tillis, who in January last year cast a key vote to confirm Hegseth’s appointment in a 51-50 vote, added, “I urge the President to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it.”

He also accused Hegseth, a former Fox News presenter, of “creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks” by pushing people like Driscoll out of their roles.

Other senior military officials who have vacated their jobs under Hegseth’s leadership include former Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q Brown Jr.; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first female member of the Joint Chiefs; U.S. National Security Agency Director Tim Haugh; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin; Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency; Navy Secretary John Phelan; Gen. Christopher Donahue and the top U.S. Army commander in Europe and former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.

Tillis, who has become a frequent critic of Trump before he is set to retire at the end of his current term, has previously been outspoken against Hegseth, telling CNN in May that his mistakes regarding the war in Iran “make Kristi Noem look like a five-star recruit.”

However, with Driscoll’s resignation Monday, reports emerged of tensions hitting a boiling point between the Army Secretary and Hegseth.

No official reason was provided for Driscoll’s departure, which comes after CNN and Reuters reported he had been getting into arguments with Hegseth for several months.

Sources told The Atlantic this week that Driscoll had “brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible,” but wasn’t successful in addressing those concerns.

Trump was also left “surprised and concerned” over the number of cuts to the Army, as well as the seniority of those who have resigned from their roles, according to The Atlantic report.

The Army now has fewer generals than any point in recent history, according to the report.

Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran and former advisor to Vice President JD Vance, whom he befriended at Yale Law School, was lauded as being “highly effective,” by the White House following his resignation.

“Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and more,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

“The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the commander-in-chief and secretary of war.”

The Independent has asked the Defense Department for comment.