Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with the Pentagon and are losing faith in the secretary's leadership as the 2026 midterm elections approach.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has focused more on the physical abilities of U.S. soldiers while President Donald Trump runs another war in the Middle East. The two together are ignoring some of the best military minds of their generation, said one outgoing senator.
“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,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told The Hill.
Other Republican lawmakers are displeased with the Pentagon's inability to anticipate the closures of the Strait of Hormuz. The failures in the Iran war have caused an upswing in fuel prices and a significant depletion of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which is now below half full. The war has now expanded into blocking oil transfers in the Red Sea, and problems in the Black Sea persist.
Tillis blamed Hegseth's "massive insecurity complex" in dealing with the military. Hegseth has been photographed in several different "workouts" with soldiers, lifting weights and doing pull-ups. This month he announced helping soldiers with low testosterone.
"He has a lack of experience in large organizations; he micromanages too much. He’s lost my confidence," blasted Tillis, who was the deciding vote on whether to approve Hegseth last year.
A Republican senator who wished to remain nameless told The Hill that Hegseth is also losing confidence with senior military leaders.
“I have heard out of the Pentagon that there’s a loss of confidence within the Pentagon. And of course then everyone here on the Hill hears those same concerns,” the lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon's forced-retirement announcement list is growing.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is concerned about Chris Donahue, the top U.S. Army commander in Europe. She told reporters she found it "deeply troubling."
“These are men and women who volunteered to serve our country and swore an oath to support and defend our Constitution.” She also said she wants “more information” on “the strategy and endgame for the war.”
“I do think that the American public’s growing weary,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) said.
“Collectively, those of us in Congress are worried about the costs associated with the Department of War and the transparency,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
Tillis also noted a broader concern about Trump and Hegseth's leadership purge of women and people of color with expertise in strategic planning. Hegseth is now blocking the promotion of many women and people of color across the armed forces.
“Everybody knows about some of the Game of Thrones stuff going on with some of the other service secretaries and Hegseth. It seems like he wants to run the whole place,” Tillis said.
“When you’re a leader, you better damn sure have people smarter than you in the room. You’re supposed to be air traffic control for all these brilliant people and he’s undermining the DOD’s success by undermining these brilliant people who spent their career in uniform," he added.
