Republican senator calls on Trump to fire Secretary of Defence Hegseth

United States Senator Thom Tillis has called on President Donald Trump to fire Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth for creating a "leadership void" within the military against the backdrop of the ongoing war with Iran.

Key points

• In June 2025, against the backdrop of criticism from Trump, Tillis unveiled he would not be seeking re-election in November's congressional midterm polls.
• In a social media post on Wednesday, Tillis contrasted Hegseth unfavourably with former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
• More than two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the administration's handling of the war, according to a University of Massachusetts poll published on August 31.
• Since taking office as defence secretary, Hegseth has pursued controversial changes to the Pentagon, including attempts to limit journalistic access to the Defence Department.
• Hegseth has faced growing scrutiny in recent months as the US struggles to achieve its goals in the war on Iran, introduced on February 28.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Tillis contrasted Hegseth unfavourably with former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. This person submitted his resignation on Monday against the backdrop of noted disagreements with the Pentagon chief.

"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 North Carolina senator wrote.

"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 is a member of Trump's Republican Party. But over recent years, he has become an increasingly vocal critic from within the party over policies he fears harm democracy.

In June 2025, against the backdrop of criticism from Trump, Tillis unveiled he would not be seeking re-election in November's congressional midterm polls. His term ends in January.

Early in Trump's second term as president, Tillis was among the senators who voted to confirm Hegseth, a military veteran and former TV host, despite criticisms of his conduct towards women and his past work.

Tillis only confirmed his vote in favour of Hegseth at the last minute, appearing to share some of the reservations being debated in the Senate.

He has additionally undertaken a wide-ranging effort to root out what he calls "wokeness" from the military.

That effort has reportedly included firing top military leaders, blocking promotions, removing transgender service members and reviewing admissions standards for top military academies.

In Wednesday's post, Tillis pointed to some of those efforts, questioning why Hegseth appeared fixated on culture war problems rather than modernising the military.

He pointed to evolving forms of warfare in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and in the US-Israeli war against Iran.

"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, " remarked Tillis.

In practice, the senator then proceeded to imply that Driscoll's departure was a direct result of Hegseth's mismanagement.

"If we had a Secretary of Defense who maintained the same priorities and forward-thinking, he would be fighting to retain talented leaders like Dan and the plenty of flag officers he has forced into retirement. Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks, " Tillis continued.

Hegseth has faced growing scrutiny in recent months as the US struggles to achieve its goals in the war on Iran, introduced on February 28. The war hit its six-month mark last week with no end in sight.

Media reports indicate that the war has left the Pentagon struggling with shrinking munitions stockpiles that could hinder the US military in future actions.

Notably, the war has additionally taken a toll on the popularity of the Trump administration. It has seen approval numbers sink ahead of the November congressional election.

Since the war began, fuel rates have skyrocketed, and the conflict has spread throughout the Middle East.

Taken together, the developments around republican senator calls on Trump to fire Secretary of Defence Hegseth point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.