Veterans, lawmakers slam Hegseth after Driscoll exits

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation Monday triggered a wave of public criticism directed at Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with veterans, lawmakers and commentators accusing Hegseth of driving out serious military leadership through a pattern of firings tied to personal loyalty rather than competence.

Retired Army Maj. Richard Ojeda, a combat veteran, wrote on X that the military has “a Pete Hegseth problem.”

“Our troops are not props. The Pentagon is not a playground for incompetent fox news hacks with something to prove about their manliness,” Ojeda wrote. “I carry the names of 13 brothers I lost in war tattooed on my body. I know exactly who pays the price when the people at the top screw up. It sure isn’t Pete Hegseth. It’s the kid strapping up his gear and walking outside the wire.”

Former Democratic congressional candidate and retired Marine Lt. Col. Amy McGrath wrote that the Army now lacks both a permanent secretary and a permanent chief of staff.

“No Secretary of the Army. No permanent Army Chief of Staff, Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George in April with no explanation. And we’re in the middle of a war and perhaps the biggest transformation in land warfare in generations,” McGrath wrote. “So who exactly is running the Army? The serious people keep leaving or getting fired. Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth is giving political stump speeches in Iowa and bringing internet trolls into the Pentagon. This isn’t serious leadership. It’s chaos, and America is much weaker for it.”

Attorney and commentator Ron Filipkowski offered a shorter assessment.

“Hegseth has taken out more American generals than Iranian ones,” Filipkowski wrote.

The criticism centers on an account, reported by multiple outlets, of why Driscoll resigned. Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin cited a senior source familiar with the matter.

“According to a senior source familiar: Driscoll brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the Generals who were responsible,” Griffin wrote.

That account matches reporting from NBC News, which cited a source saying Driscoll’s resignation raised concerns about “Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible,” and from CNN, which reported an Army official’s description that Driscoll “spoke to the president about the current state of the Army and submitted his resignation.”

The criticism draws directly on Hegseth’s firing of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, along with two other generals, without public explanation. Driscoll and George had worked closely together, and Driscoll defended George publicly before Congress that same month.

“No person has more respect for Gen. George and his 42 years of service, his Purple Heart, his wife Patty, their grandkids, their kids,” Driscoll said at the time, according to CNN. “I adore them. And he was an amazing, transformational leader.”

McGrath’s and Ojeda’s posts each drew tens of thousands of likes and reshares within hours, according to engagement figures visible on their posts, reflecting the scale of the online reaction to Driscoll’s departure.