Senator Thom Tillis criticizes Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s leadership as the military faces strain from the ongoing conflict with Iran.
United States Senator Thom Tillis has called on President Donald Trump to dismiss Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, citing a “leadership void” within the military during the ongoing war with Iran. In a Wednesday social media post, Tillis condemned Hegseth’s management as “inept” and accused him of prioritizing culture war rhetoric over the critical needs of national defense.
“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, wrote. “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 senator further urged Trump to appoint a Pentagon leader who would “retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it.”
Tillis, while a member of Trump’s Republican Party, has increasingly emerged as a critic of the president’s agenda. In June 2025, he announced he would not seek re-election in the upcoming midterms, citing concerns about democratic norms. Earlier this year, Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth for the defense secretary position despite reservations about the former TV host’s past conduct and qualifications.
Since assuming office, Hegseth has pursued controversial reforms, including restricting media access to the Pentagon and targeting what he terms “wokeness” in the military. His tenure has seen the removal of transgender service members, the blocking of promotions for certain officers, and reviews of admission standards at military academies. These actions, Tillis argued, distract from the evolving demands of modern warfare in conflicts such as Ukraine and the U.S.-Israeli campaign 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, referring to the resignation of former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. The senator implied that Driscoll’s departure stemmed from Hegseth’s leadership failures rather than unrelated factors.
With the war in Iran now in its sixth month without resolution, Hegseth’s leadership has faced increased scrutiny. Pentagon officials have reportedly struggled with dwindling ammunition supplies, raising concerns about U.S. military readiness. Public approval of Trump’s handling of the conflict has plummeted, with over two-thirds of Americans disapproving, according to a recent University of Massachusetts poll.
The conflict has also spurred rising fuel prices and regional instability across the Middle East, further complicating the administration’s strained political and economic landscape ahead of the November elections.
