Senator Tillis accused Hegseth of creating a “leadership void” within the military and being fixated on “culture wars” instead of national defence, contrasting him unfavourably with former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who resigned on Monday. Tillis highlighted the strain on the US military from the ongoing war with Iran, which reached its six-month mark last week with no end in sight, leading to shrinking munitions stockpiles and declining approval for the Trump administration.