Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over ‘inept management’ of military

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is calling on President Trump to fire Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over what he called Hegseth’s “inept management” of the military.

Tillis stepped up his criticism of Hegseth’s leadership after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll announced his resignation after repeatedly clashing with Hegseth over the ouster of senior officials, such as former Army Chief of Staff Randy George.

Tillis praised Driscoll as “the right man at the right moment to lead our Soldiers and Army civilians” and vented his anger over Hegseth’s management of the Pentagon.

“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 posted on X , the social media platform.

Tillis, who cast a pivotal vote to confirm Hegseth last year, is now calling on Trump to fire him.

“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 said.

He accused Hegseth of “creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks” by pushing an array of senior military officers out of their jobs.

Those officials include Gen. Chris Donahue, the top U.S. Army Commander in Europe; former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr.; Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top officer; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin; and Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus.

Tillis praised Driscoll’s and George’s support for the Army Transformation Initiative, which sought to speed up the deployment of unmanned aircraft systems in Army operations.

“Our understanding and assumptions of warfare are being challenged in places like Ukraine and Iran, and Dan understands the old way of doing business no longer applies. 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,” Tillis wrote.

“Most of all, he cared deeply about the men and women in our Army formations and quickly earned their respect,” the North Carolina senator added of Driscoll.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s acting chief of staff, ordered a Europe-based Army battalion to shut down its experimental drone initiative and focus on its core mission as an airborne infantry unit.

Other GOP lawmakers have expressed dismay over Driscoll’s resignation.

“I was disappointed. I think he’s been a pretty solid guy. So disappointed,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of Discroll’s departure after butting heads with Hegseth over the ouster of key senior officials.

Rounds also cited the development of cutting-edge drone tactics as vital to the future of the Army’s combat readiness.

“This issue that’s going on with regard to Ukraine, the use of drones, the integration of drones into this — this is not a new thing that just happened. We’ve been watching this ever since 2021. … Watching the Ukrainians do a marvelous job with drones. We’ve been watching this,” he said.