US Senator Thom Tillis has urged President Donald Trump to fire Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of creating a “leadership void” in the military during the ongoing war with Iran.
Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said Hegseth was pursuing culture-war issues instead of focusing on national defence and the health and well-being of US service members.
What Tillis said about Hegseth
In a social media post on Wednesday, Tillis contrasted Hegseth with former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who submitted his resignation on Monday after reported disagreements with the Pentagon chief. Tillis said Hegseth was “intimidated by competence” and called for a Pentagon leader who would retain and empower military talent.
Tillis also questioned Hegseth’s focus on what the secretary describes as removing “wokeness” from the military. The senator pointed to changes including efforts to limit journalistic access to the Defence Department, remove transgender service members and review admissions standards at leading military academies.
Pressure on the Pentagon and administration
Tillis argued that warfare is changing because of developments in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the US-Israeli war against Iran. He linked Driscoll’s departure and the forced retirement of other senior officers to what he described as Hegseth’s mismanagement.
Hegseth has faced growing scrutiny as the United States struggles to achieve its goals in the Iran war. Reports cited in the material say the conflict has reduced Pentagon munitions stockpiles, while the war’s six-month mark passed with no end in sight. The conflict has also spread across the Middle East and pushed fuel prices higher.
More than two-thirds of Americans disapproved of the Trump administration’s handling of the war, according to a University of Massachusetts poll released on August 31.
Tillis’s position inside the Republican Party
Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth early in Trump’s second term, although he only confirmed his support at the last minute amid Senate debate over criticisms of Hegseth’s conduct towards women and his past work.
The senator has become an increasingly vocal critic of some Trump policies. In June 2025, after criticism from Trump, Tillis said he would not seek re-election in the November congressional midterm polls; his Senate term ends in January.
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