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 amid the ongoing war with Iran, according to a social media post on Wednesday.

Contrasting Leadership Styles

In the post, Tillis unfavorably compared Hegseth with former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who submitted his resignation on Monday amid reported 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,” Tillis 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,” he added.

Recent Political Shifts

Tillis, a member of Trump’s Republican Party, has become an increasingly vocal critic of Trump’s policies in recent years, as In June 2025, Tillis announced he would not be seeking re-election in November’s congressional midterm polls, with his term ending 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 confirmed his support for Hegseth at the last minute, indicating he had some of the concerns being debated in the Senate.

Since taking office as defense secretary, Hegseth has pursued controversial changes to the Pentagon, including attempts to limit journalistic access to the Defence Department, while he has also undertaken a wide-ranging effort to root out what he calls “wokeness” from the military.

Media reports indicate that this has included firing top military leaders, blocking promotions, removing transgender service members, and reviewing admissions standards for top military academies, but Tillis pointed to some of these efforts in his post, questioning why Hegseth appeared fixated on culture war issues rather than modernising the military.

Ongoing War and Public Opinion

Tillis referenced the 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 [Driscoll] understands the old way of doing business no longer applies,” Tillis said.

The senator implied 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 many flag officers he has forced into retirement. Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks,” Tillis added.

Hegseth has faced growing scrutiny in recent months as the US struggles to achieve its goals in the war on Iran, launched 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. The war has also taken a toll on the popularity of the Trump administration, which has seen approval numbers sink ahead of the November congressional election.

Since the war began, fuel prices have skyrocketed, and the conflict has spread across the Middle East; more than two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the administration’s handling of the war, according to a University of Massachusetts poll released on August 31.