Calls for Pete Hegseth to lose his job as Secretary of War are growing after the Iran war contributed to Republican losses in the midterm elections. But veterans groups and former military leaders say resignation or dismissal alone would leave serious questions unanswered.

Those groups, joined by some senior military officers purged by Hegseth, want the new Congress to go further. They are calling for lawmakers to use impeachment to investigate his leadership and hold him accountable.

“There is no pathway back to an effective and respected DoW with Hegesth as the secretary of war,” one purged military leader told MS NOW. “Many military leaders blame Congress as much as they blame Hegseth. The government has failed the military. Impeaching Hegesth is the first step of restoring faith and confidence.”

The former senior military officer spoke anonymously because of concerns about possible retaliation from the Pentagon. The warning reflects frustration not only with Hegseth, but also with a Congress that veterans say failed the military.

Several veterans groups pointed to Hegseth’s failure to evacuate families from Bahrain before the Iran war began. Spouses of service members and their children remained in danger as Iran launched retaliatory strikes against the largest United States Navy base in the Middle East.

The groups also cited reports from families about poor conditions for service members on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. They want scrutiny of Hegseth’s firing of numerous senior military officers who are women and people of color.

Retired Rear Adm. Michael Smith, founder and president of National Security Leaders for America, said the proposed impeachment must examine more than the war. Smith called for Congress to investigate Caribbean strikes, which he described as war crimes, and determine why the Southern Command commander resigned.

Smith questioned whether that commander had received an illegal order and refused to carry it out. “The impeachment of Hegseth is not just about the war,” Smith said. “It’s other things too.”

Hegseth’s executive office at the Pentagon and the White House responded this week with a coordinated social media campaign defending him. In a video promoted Thursday through Pentagon social media accounts, Hegseth stood outside the building and called the articles of impeachment a “sham.”

“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction, didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that,” Hegseth said.

The Unite for Veterans Coalition, which includes veterans organizations and does not support any political party or elected leader, wants impeachment even if Hegseth resigns or is fired. The coalition is seeking his removal, conviction and disqualification from holding office again.

“We, as a coalition, believe that Pete Hegesth needs to be impeached, needs to be removed from his position, needs to be convicted and disqualified from holding future office. He has shown us that he is willing to put Americans’ lives at risk,” said Kristofer Goldsmith, an Army veteran and founder of Veterans Fighting Fascism.

Goldsmith said simply removing Hegseth would not provide the accountability the coalition wants. “It is not enough simply to remove him from that position. He needs to be held accountable and the constitutional method for holding someone like him accountable is impeachment.”

Veterans groups plan to gather in Washington on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. They intend to reaffirm their demand for a military that operates within constitutional limits while preserving a professional and nonpartisan foundation.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican retiring at the end of this year after losing his 2026 primary, is expected to force an impeachment vote next week. Earlier this year, Massie introduced articles accusing Hegseth of waging an unauthorized war against Iran and violating the War Powers Resolution.

The articles also addressed lethal military force against suspected drug traffickers, retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. They further cited Hegseth’s alleged failure to minimize civilian casualties and a military campaign against Iran backed Houthi militants in Yemen without congressional authorization.

Hegseth defended the Caribbean boat strikes as part of a campaign to kill “narco-terrorists” and deter smugglers. He also defended Maduro’s capture and said an earlier ceasefire in the Iran war reset the requirement to seek war powers from Congress.