Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) called on President Trump on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, to fire Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Tillis, a former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who cast a deciding vote to confirm Hegseth in 2025, cited what he described as "inept management" of the military and a pattern of removing senior leadership without adequate explanation.
The request followed the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who reportedly clashed with Hegseth over the removal of senior officials. This conflict included the ouster of Gen. Randy George, the former Army chief of staff. Tillis stated that Hegseth is "intimidated by competence" and accused him of creating a "leadership void" by pushing out a dozen or more high-ranking officers, including former Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. CQ Brown Jr. and the Navy’s top officer, Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
A Pentagon official disputed reports that military leaders were being forced out, stating that Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, made his own decision to retire. Hegseth has defended his personnel changes as necessary to reduce a "bloated" and "bureaucratic" senior rank. He has ordered cuts to four-star positions to shift resources toward front-line soldiers. However, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) and other lawmakers expressed concern that firing "the best of the best" without transparency undermines military morale and the quality of leadership.
The scale of the management changes involves significant personnel decisions for four-star positions, which are the highest ranks in the U.S. military. These roles oversee multi-billion dollar budgets and theater-wide operations in regions including Europe and Africa. Lawmakers like Sen. Tillis argue that these removals diminish military talent at a time when the U.S. is responding to conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. The sudden leadership changes have prompted legislative action in the House, where the 2027 defense policy bill now includes language requiring the Pentagon to notify Congress within five days of any four-star removal with a written explanation.
The knock-on effects include a potential decrease in the quality of aspiring general officers and a shift toward "yes men" in the Pentagon, according to Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). This internal friction also impacts diplomatic relations; Tillis noted Hegseth’s "bravado" during NATO meetings as a point of concern for international cooperation. What happens next depends on President Trump’s response to these requests for dismissal and the progress of the 2027 defense policy bill. Gen. Christopher Donahue is currently scheduled to relinquish his command on July 2, with a final retirement date expected later this summer.