In the wake of the sudden resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, some lawmakers
have begun to pressure President Donald Trump that it may be time to change the
leadership at the defense department.
Outgoing North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis publicly called for the President to replace
War Secretary Pete Hegseth and slammed the Pentagon leader in the wake of Driscoll’s
resignation.
“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 post on X late last week.
Tillis praised Driscoll in the post and lamented his loss as a negative for the armed forces.
“He and General Randy George (retired) 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.”
Tillis also went out of his way to slam Hegseth in the post. “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,” wrote Tillis.
Tillis announced last year he was not seeking re-election. He remained pointed in his
criticisms of Hegseth on X:
“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 stated.
In a comment to Politico magazine earlier this year, Tillis said he would “love to see Pete
Hegseth fired because he’s incompetent and doing a horrible job.”
For the time being, on behalf of the White House, spokesperson Anna Kiley only offered the
following:
“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.”
This is the latest in a string of criticisms directed at Trump’s cabinet members during his
second term. Earlier this year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was dismissed
following her unapproved advertisement spending and mishandling operations in
Minneapolis.
Attorney General Pam Bondi was relieved after friction over the pace of prosecutions and
her handling of sensitive files.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer was fired in April of 2026 while facing allegations of
workplace misconduct.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was discharged in April as well, following reports
regarding an unauthorized operational chat group leak.
As for Driscoll’s resignation, he stated “I had the privilege of working with them [President
Trump and Secretary Hegseth] 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,” said Driscoll’s official
statement.
Sources familiar with Driscoll’s resignation, though, stated that Driscoll had expressed
concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and
Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the Generals who were responsible.
Reports have surfaced regarding a so-called ‘Pentagon Purge’ recently, in which as many as
80 generals and admirals have been fired or had promotions blocked, including numerous
high-ranking figures, leading to a leadership void across multiple branches.
In addition to Tillis, other key lawmakers such as House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers
have expressed exhaustion over the ongoing churn of Pentagon personnel and the lack of
stability, adding to the broad political backlash.
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