Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) tore into War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, blaming the department head’s “inept management” for Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s exit and calling for his firing.
Tillis has been critical of Hegseth, voicing his opposition publicly during his last few months in office as he is not seeking reelection. In a social media post, Tillis said Driscoll “was the right man at the right moment to lead our Soldiers and Army civilians,” also noting Gen. Randy George’s ousting under 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,” Tillis said. “Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks.”
“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 continued. “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.”
At the end of his harangue, Tillis urged President Donald Trump to replace Hegseth with someone who will “retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it.”
Driscoll resigned due to concerns about the Army’s transformation and readiness, and Hegseth blocked those efforts by firing the generals responsible, according to Fox News.
Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), had similar feelings to Tillis about Driscoll’s leaving, blaming it on Hegseth’s leadership.
“It is far past time for President Trump to recognize the lasting harm that Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense,” Reed said. “In the Army alone, he has fired and blocked the promotions of dozens of senior officers without explanation, including Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and half of all four-star generals. Secretary Hegseth is cultivating a culture where dissent is punished and competence is secondary to personal allegiance.”
Tillis has long been critical of Hegseth’s running of the War Department, particularly over the Pentagon’s personnel shakeups.
“I don’t have any confidence in him anymore. I think he’s all over the place — he’s accelerating the retirement or forcing out some of the most distinguished leaders in the DOD that we have,” Tillis told the Hill in July. “I think he’s got a massive insecurity complex, he has a lack of experience in large organizations, he micromanages too much. He’s lost my confidence.”
DRISCOLL’S RESIGNATION FURTHER INTENSIFIES QUESTIONS SURROUNDING HEGSETH
Under Hegseth’s leadership, approximately 20 generals, admirals, and civilian defense leaders have been fired or have left the department.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Pentagon for comment.