Sen. Thom Tillis, one of the Republicans who helped confirm Pete Hegseth, now wants President Donald Trump to fire the defense secretary.
The North Carolina Republican unleashed a blistering attack after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned following months of reported clashes with Hegseth.
Tillis accused Hegseth of forcing competent military leaders out while focusing on political fights instead of national security.
“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” Tillis wrote Wednesday on X.
“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 served on the Senate Armed Services Committee for eight years. He also cast a crucial vote to confirm Hegseth in January 2025.
Hegseth’s nomination deadlocked 50 to 50, forcing Vice President JD Vance to cast the deciding vote.
Now Tillis says Trump needs to find someone else to lead the Pentagon.
“I urge the president to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it,” Tillis wrote.
Tillis issued his rebuke after Driscoll submitted his resignation. Driscoll announced Wednesday would be his final full day as Army secretary but did not publicly explain his departure.
Tillis praised Driscoll as “the right man at the right moment to lead our Soldiers and Army civilians.”
He also accused Hegseth of “creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks” by removing experienced senior officers.
Hegseth has fired or pushed aside more than two dozen military leaders since taking control of the Pentagon.
The departures include former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. CQ Brown Jr.; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s former top officer; and former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.
Gen. David Allvin, the former Air Force chief of staff, left before completing his term. Gen. James Mingus, the former Army vice chief of staff, retired early.
Gen. Christopher Donahue also retired after Hegseth reportedly blocked efforts to extend his career leading Army forces in Europe and Africa.
Driscoll repeatedly clashed with Hegseth over those decisions, including George’s abrupt removal in April.
The Army has operated without a permanent chief of staff since George’s ouster. Gen. Christopher LaNeve currently holds the position in an acting capacity, but his path to Senate confirmation remains uncertain.
The turmoil extends beyond the removal of military leaders.
Hegseth recently struck at least six Army officers from a list of candidates recommended for promotion to two-star general, The Hill reported.
He had already blocked four other Army officers from advancing to one-star general. Several reportedly had connections to George or Donahue.
Two officers removed from the earlier list were women, and two were Black men.
The New York Times reported that Hegseth targeted seven officers on the latest list. Two are Black, and two are women.
Several are military logisticians who help ensure troops receive food, fuel, equipment and maintenance support, according to NBC News.
The Pentagon defended the decision and emphasized that Hegseth has the authority to change promotion lists.
“This narrative is worn out and manufactured,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said.
“Promotion recommendations sent to the Secretary of War have always been recommendations, never mandates.”
Parnell added that senior military leaders serve at the pleasure of the president and defense secretary.
“The idea that these lists cannot be altered is ridiculous,” he said.
Hegseth told Congress in April that he would remove officers when he believed the military needed different leadership.
However, his intervention in the promotion process has alarmed lawmakers from both parties.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, criticized Hegseth in July for blocking promotions and removing senior officers.
“The United States military is one of the greatest meritocracies in the free world,” Collins said. “We need to make sure that it stays that way.”
Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Brian Schatz of Hawaii also demanded an independent Pentagon investigation.
They accused Hegseth of allowing his personal views about race and gender to interfere with the military’s rigorous promotion process.
Hegseth has also faced scrutiny for quietly hiring retired military social media influencers for civilian jobs inside the Pentagon.
The Washington Post reported that retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and retired Army Col. Kurt Schlichter joined the Defense Department, although the Pentagon has not clearly explained their responsibilities.
Both men are conservative commentators who have used their large social media platforms to promote MAGA politics, defend the Trump administration, and support Hegseth’s military decisions.
Critics accused Hegseth of using taxpayer dollars to surround himself with loyalists who can boost his image while experienced military leaders continue heading for the exits.
Other Republicans have defended Hegseth. Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia claimed officials feared some of the rejected officers were political.
Driscoll’s departure also sparked concern about the future of Army modernization.
Driscoll and George supported the Army Transformation Initiative, which prioritized drones and other unmanned aircraft systems.
“Our understanding and assumptions of warfare are being challenged in places like Ukraine and Iran,” Tillis wrote.
“Dan understands the old way of doing business no longer applies.”
LaNeve recently ordered a Europe-based Army battalion to shut down an experimental drone program and return its focus to airborne infantry operations.
Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said he was disappointed by Driscoll’s departure. He also warned that drone warfare remains essential to Army combat readiness.
Questions also surround why Hegseth fired George.
Days before George’s removal, LaNeve reportedly advised him to abandon an investigation into an unauthorized helicopter flyby over musician Kid Rock’s Tennessee estate, The Washington Post reported.
George reportedly refused because he believed the Army needed to determine whether the pilots violated safety regulations.
Hegseth later terminated the investigation and cleared the helicopter crews.
“No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, Patriots,” Hegseth wrote.
Now Tillis says Hegseth’s personnel purges and culture wars have damaged military leadership.
After helping put Hegseth in charge, the Republican senator wants Trump to remove him.
