GOP Sen Thom Tillis urges Trump to replace Pete Hegseth, blasts Pentagon leadership

Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., called for President Donald Trump to replace War Secretary Pete Hegseth, slamming the Pentagon leader following the news that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was resigning. "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 declared in a fiery Wednesday post on X. Tillis praised Driscoll in the post — and apparently referring to ex-Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George (ret.), the senator declared, "He and General George began a transformative period of innovation in how we array our forces and equip our Soldiers. He challenged our legacy approach to manning and procurement. Most of all, he cared deeply about the men and women in our Army formations and quickly earned their respect." But Tillis excoriated Hegseth. "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. Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks," the senator wrote. ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF ORDERED TO RETIRE IMMEDIATELY AS HEGSETH CONTINUES PENTAGON SHAKEUP "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. 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 lawmaker declared. Tillis, who announced last year that he would not seek re-election, told Politico Magazine earlier this year that he would "love to see Pete Hegseth fired because he's incompetent and doing a horrible job." The War Department declined to provide comment on Thursday. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital, "After Joe Biden’s Pentagon prioritized DEI and woke ideology, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth quickly reversed course and restored a Department of War that is focused on readiness, lethality, and supporting our warfighters. The President has complete trust in Secretary Hegseth, who is doing an incredible job leading the Pentagon. The results of Operations Midnight Hammer, Absolute Resolve, Southern Spear, and Epic Fury speak for themselves." TRUMP'S ARMY SECRETARY HUNT TAKES SHAPE AS INSIDERS FLOAT POTENTIAL PICKS Driscoll, in a Tuesday statement issued on the official Secretary of the Army X account, noted that Wednesday would be his final full day in the position. "As a third-generation Army veteran, it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Secretary of the Army under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. Tomorrow is my last full day in the role," Driscoll said in the statement. "I had the privilege of working with them to modernize and accelerate how the Army mans, trains, and equips the most lethal fighting force on the face of the earth. We could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth. I am forever grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to once again serve my country," he noted. ARMY SECRETARY DAN DRISCOLL SUBMITS RESIGNATION TO TRUMP CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP A source familiar with Driscoll's resignation indicated to Fox News that "Driscoll 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." Fox News Digital's Sophia Compton and Fox News' Jennifer Griffin and Liz Friden contributed to this report.