Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who voted to confirm Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary in January 2025, is now publicly calling for his removal, blaming what he calls "inept management" for the departure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

Tillis posted his broadside on X on Wednesday, hours after Driscoll's resignation became public. The North Carolina Republican, who is not seeking reelection, accused Hegseth of driving out competent leaders and replacing serious defense work with ideological sideshows. It was the sharpest public rebuke Hegseth has received from a member of his own party, and it came from a senator who spent eight years on the Armed Services Committee, including stints as chair or ranking member of the Personnel and Readiness subcommittee.

The resignation adds to a growing list of senior military and civilian officials who have left the Defense Department under Hegseth. Roughly 20 generals, admirals, and civilian defense leaders have been fired or departed since he took over, the Washington Examiner reported. Among those ousted: Gen. Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff.

Tillis calls Driscoll 'the right man', and Hegseth the problem

Tillis did not hold back. He praised Driscoll as "the right man at the right moment to lead our Soldiers and Army civilians," then turned directly to the man he holds responsible for Driscoll's exit.

In his post, Tillis wrote:

"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."

Fox News, as cited by the Washington Examiner, reported that Driscoll resigned over concerns about the Army's transformation and readiness, and that Hegseth had blocked those efforts by firing the generals responsible for carrying them out. Tillis's criticism tracks that account closely. He framed the departure not as a one-off disagreement but as the predictable result of a leadership style that punishes competence.

Hegseth's tenure has drawn scrutiny on multiple fronts, including a federal court ruling that blocked a Pentagon press escort policy he had championed.

Tillis went further in a second passage, laying out what he sees as the root of the problem:

"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."

That language, "intimidated by competence", is not the kind of thing senators typically say about a Cabinet member from their own president's administration. Tillis is a retiring senator with nothing to lose electorally, and he is spending that freedom on a direct challenge to Hegseth's fitness for the job.

Tillis's confidence eroded months before Driscoll walked

Wednesday's post was not the first time Tillis broke with Hegseth. In July, he told The Hill that he had already lost confidence in the Defense Secretary.

His language then was blunt:

"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. 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."

That July interview laid out the same complaints Tillis repeated Wednesday: forced retirements of distinguished leaders, lack of large-organization experience, micromanagement, and an insecurity that drives poor decisions. Driscoll's resignation did not change Tillis's diagnosis. It confirmed it.

Other senators have also questioned Hegseth's handling of military personnel decisions. Sen. Tim Kaine previously accused him of carrying a personal grudge against the Army over a pattern of firings.

Reed piles on with a charge of loyalty-first leadership

Sen. Jack Reed, the Rhode Island Democrat who serves as ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, echoed Tillis's criticism, though from the expected partisan direction. Reed called on President Trump to "recognize the lasting harm that Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense."

Reed's statement went further than Tillis's on specifics. He claimed Hegseth had "fired and blocked the promotions of dozens of senior officers without explanation" in the Army alone, including Gen. George and what Reed described as "half of all four-star generals."

Reed also offered a characterization of the culture Hegseth has built inside the Pentagon:

"Secretary Hegseth is cultivating a culture where dissent is punished and competence is secondary to personal allegiance."

Reed's claims about the precise number of four-star generals affected and the scope of blocked promotions were not independently verified within the Washington Examiner's reporting. But they align with the broader pattern Tillis described, a Defense Department losing experienced leaders at an unusual rate.

Hegseth has faced friction on other fronts as well, including a diplomatic dispute over a Turkey F-35 sale that strained U.S.-Israel relations.

Twenty departures and no Pentagon response

The Washington Examiner reported that roughly 20 generals, admirals, and civilian defense leaders have been fired or left the department under Hegseth. That figure stands alongside Tillis's accusation that Hegseth has "forced into retirement" flag officers and Reed's claim of "dozens" of blocked promotions. Even accounting for normal turnover, the pace is striking.

The Washington Examiner said it reached out to the Pentagon for comment. No response was reported.

Hegseth himself was not quoted in the reporting. No public statement from the Defense Secretary addressing Tillis's or Reed's criticisms appeared in the coverage. That silence leaves the accusations, from a Republican senator who voted to confirm him, standing unanswered.

Hegseth has at times engaged directly with his critics, as when he intervened on behalf of Apache pilots grounded over a July 4th flyover in South Carolina. But on the broader personnel questions, the Pentagon has offered little public defense.

A Republican senator voted yes, and now says it was a mistake

Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth in January 2025. That vote makes his current position harder to dismiss as partisan sniping. He is a Republican criticizing a Republican appointee, doing so on the record, and doing so after watching the results for more than a year.

His call is direct: President Trump should replace Hegseth. Tillis is not suggesting reforms, not calling for hearings, not asking for a review. He wants Hegseth gone.

Whether that carries weight inside the White House is another question. Tillis is retiring, which means he has no leverage and no political risk, but also no reason to hold back. He chose not to.

When a senator from the president's own party, one who sat on the committee that oversees the military for eight years, says he has "never witnessed more inept management" of the armed forces, that is not background noise. It is a data point the White House will have to decide whether to ignore or act on.

The men and women in uniform do not get to pick their bosses. They deserve leaders who are picked for competence, not kept on despite the lack of it.