Senator Thom Tillis Calls for Replacement of War Secretary Pete Hegseth

<p>Outgoing Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has called for President Donald Trump to replace War Secretary Pete Hegseth following the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. Tillis stated, "I urge the President to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it," in a post on X on Wednesday.</p><p>Tillis praised Driscoll, mentioning that he and former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George initiated significant changes in military force organization and equipment. He noted, "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."</p><p>However, Tillis criticized Hegseth, saying, "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."</p><p>Tillis, who served on the Senate Armed Services Committee for eight years, expressed his concerns about Hegseth's management, stating, "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."</p><p>Tillis previously indicated he would not seek re-election and mentioned in an interview with Politico Magazine that he would "love to see Pete Hegseth fired because he's incompetent and doing a horrible job."</p><p>The War Department did not provide a comment on Thursday. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly stated, "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."</p><p>Driscoll announced on Tuesday that Wednesday would be his last full day as Secretary of the Army. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, stating, "As a third-generation Army veteran, it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Secretary of the Army. We could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth."</p><p>A source familiar with Driscoll's resignation indicated that he raised concerns about Army transformation and readiness, specifically mentioning Hegseth's actions in blocking those efforts by firing Generals responsible for them.</p>