House Republicans are increasingly uneasy about the wave of senior departures rattling the Pentagon amidst the ongoing Iran war.
The resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, announced Monday night after he reportedly raised concerns with President Donald Trump about the current state of the service branch he led, has become the latest flashpoint in a string of exits that GOP lawmakers say has left the department without stable, Senate-confirmed leadership, reported MS NOW.
Since April, at least four senior Defense officials have left their posts, and the Army currently has neither a confirmed civilian secretary nor a confirmed military chief of staff, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters Tuesday that the pace of turnover has worn on him.
“I’m tired of all the churn,” Rogers said. “I want to see some stability over there.” Pressed on whether the department was facing a leadership vacuum, he answered simply: “Yes.”
Rogers isn’t the only Republican voicing frustration. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) said he wished there had been less turnover among senior officers, while Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said he had repeatedly heard that Driscoll was frustrated by the removal of top generals he worked alongside.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), a retired Air Force brigadier general, argued that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been too quick to fire officials without explanation, warning that the lack of transparency could cost Hegseth support in Congress down the line.
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) said it is “critical” to have Senate-confirmed leaders atop the Army, since acting officials may be uncertain what they’re empowered to do. One House Republican on a national security panel, speaking anonymously, said the situation reflects deeper “dissension within the Pentagon at the top that is not resolved.”
The unease traces back to a string of forced departures stretching to April, when Hegseth removed Gen. Randy George as Army chief of staff, and June, when Gen. Christopher Donahue stepped down after Hegseth blocked an effort to extend his career.
The Army now has just five active-duty four-star generals, the fewest in decades.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), however, downplayed the concerns.
“I trust the Secretary of War to handle his business over there, and I frankly have not delved into those individual cases,” Johnson said. “I literally don’t have the bandwidth to go over there and micromanage the Pentagon.”
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) also defended Hegseth’s authority to staff the department as he sees fit.
“Secretary Hegseth has every authority to go out there and say we’re going to have the right people cover in interim or in permanency, making sure they’re the most well-equipped, they’re the most motivated, they’re the most driven to go out there, train, and be ready for their job, and that’s what he’s going to do with whoever’s name is on the door,” Mast said.
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