Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has publicly urged President Donald Trump to remove War Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing what he called deeply inept management of the U.S. military.
The call came after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation, with a source familiar with the matter telling Fox News that Driscoll had raised concerns about Army transformation and readiness.
According to that source, Driscoll believed Hegseth had actively blocked modernization efforts by firing the generals responsible for carrying them out.
Tillis posted his sharp rebuke on X, writing, “I urge the President to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it.”
The senator praised Driscoll and appeared to reference retired Gen. Randy George, saying the two “began a transformative period of innovation in how we array our forces and equip our Soldiers.”
Tillis argued that Hegseth was creating a dangerous vacuum at the top of the military, writing that a competent secretary “would be fighting to retain talented leaders like Dan and the many flag officers he has forced into retirement.”
Drawing on his eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including time as chair or ranking member of the Personnel and Readiness subcommittee, Tillis said he had “never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country.”
He further accused Hegseth of being “intimidated by competence” and retreating “to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense.”
Tillis, who announced he would not seek re-election, had previously told Politico Magazine that he would “love to see Pete Hegseth fired because he’s incompetent and doing a horrible job.”
The War Department declined to comment, but White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly pushed back firmly, saying Trump has “complete trust in Secretary Hegseth, who is doing an incredible job leading the Pentagon.”
Kelly credited the administration with reversing what she described as a Biden-era focus on DEI and woke ideology, pointing to Operations Midnight Hammer, Absolute Resolve, Southern Spear, and Epic Fury as evidence of results.
Driscoll, a third-generation Army veteran, confirmed his departure in a statement on the official Secretary of the Army X account, saying Wednesday was his last full day in the role.
In that statement, Driscoll offered a notably warm farewell, saying he “could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth” and expressing gratitude to Trump for the opportunity to serve.
The contrast between Driscoll’s public statement and the behind-the-scenes account of his resignation highlights what appears to be a deepening rift inside Pentagon leadership at a critical moment for U.S. national security.
