Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) called on President Donald Trump to replace Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, days after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned.
Tillis wrote on X that Hegseth has pushed senior officers out of the military and failed to keep the talent the Pentagon needs. Driscoll submitted his resignation to Trump on Monday after 18 months in the job.
“I served on Senate Armed Services for 8 years and as chair or ranking member of the Personnel and Readiness subcommittee. I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” Tillis wrote. “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.”
The North Carolina Republican opened his post by thanking Driscoll and crediting him with pushing the Army to adapt to the kind of warfare seen in Ukraine and Iran. He paired Driscoll with former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, whom Hegseth removed in April.
“He and General George began a transformative period of innovation in how we array our forces and equip our Soldiers,” Tillis wrote.
The retiring senator then turned on Hegseth directly.
“If we had a @SecWar who maintained the same priorities and forward-thinking, he would be fighting to retain talented leaders like Dan and the many flag officers he has forced into retirement,” Tillis wrote. “Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks.”
Driscoll gave a different account of his own exit. In a post on X Tuesday, the outgoing Army secretary credited Hegseth and did not say why he was stepping down. He said Wednesday would be his last day.
“We could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth,” Driscoll wrote.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly praised Driscoll Monday, saying he provided “outstanding leadership during historic military operations” and assisted with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), a member of the Armed Services Committee, said he was “disappointed” by the resignation.
According to CNN, a source familiar with the matter said Driscoll raised concerns in his resignation about Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth “blocking those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible.”
CBS News counted at least 20 departures from the Pentagon’s top ranks under Hegseth, spanning uniformed commanders and civilian appointees. Tillis voted to confirm him.
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