Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submits resignation amid reported friction with Defense Secretary Hegseth

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to the White House, becoming the latest senior Pentagon official to depart under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to multiple reports first published by the Wall Street Journal. Driscoll, confirmed in February 2025 in a 66-28 Senate vote, raised concerns with the administration over Hegseth's firing of Army generals responsible for military transformation and readiness, according to a source familiar with the matter cited by Reuters.

Driscoll, an Iraq war veteran, Yale Law School graduate, and tech investor, was nominated by President Donald Trump, who called him 'a disruptor and change agent.' According to NPR, he became the youngest-ever Army secretary at age 38. He oversaw operations, modernization, and resource allocation for nearly one million active, guard, and reserve soldiers and more than 265,000 civilians, according to the New York Post.

As Army secretary, Driscoll was tapped for the unusual diplomatic role of key negotiator in efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. He also pushed to reduce acquisition red tape so military contractors could more quickly develop drones and counter-drone capabilities. He was critical of large defense companies, stating: '(The) defense industrial base broadly, and the primes in particular, conned the American people and the Pentagon and the Army.'

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Driscoll brought up concerns with the administration 'surrounding Army transformation and readiness' and cited 'Hegseth's blocking those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible.' One US official, speaking anonymously, told Reuters that Hegseth saw Driscoll as a threat within the bureaucracy and had long wanted to remove him, but that Driscoll's ties to Vice President JD Vance made it difficult to do so.

Driscoll and Vance are close friends who met at Yale Law School, served together as Iraq war veterans, and Vance reportedly pushed for Driscoll to receive the Army secretary position. According to NPR, there had been widespread media speculation that Driscoll would eventually leave to support a potential Vance presidential campaign, and he had served as a political adviser to Vance during the 2024 campaign.

In April, Hegseth dismissed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George without publicly stating a reason. Driscoll testified before Congress that he learned of the firing while on vacation in North Carolina with his family and that they drove to George's home: 'We walked right in, and we all gave him a hug,' he said. He added: 'That being said, the civilian leadership, the design of our system, is that they get to pick the leaders that they want.' The Arab News source reports that George's firing caught Driscoll off guard and led to increased frustration with Hegseth.

NPR reported that when Hegseth took office, the Army had 10 four-star generals on active duty; it now has five. In June, the Army's commander in Europe and Africa, Gen. Christopher Donahue, unexpectedly stepped down. The Independent reported that two additional generals — Gen. David Hodne of the Army's Transformation and Training Command and Maj. Gen. William Green of the Army's Chaplain Corps — were also dismissed, with the department saying only 'it was time for a leadership change.' According to NPR, Hegseth also blocked promotions of Black and female Army officers who had Driscoll's support.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, described by The Independent as having made a meteoric rise under Hegseth, took George's place as acting Army chief of staff. Under LaNeve, the Army ended a drone modernization unit based in Europe that Driscoll had championed; an Army unit had been building its own drones and studying Ukraine's drone tactics before being directed to return to being a traditional infantry battalion, according to The Independent.

The New York Post, citing a Trump administration official, reported that Driscoll's relationship with Hegseth and Pentagon chief of staff Ricky Buria became 'untenable,' and that Hegseth and Buria decided to 'make Dan Driscoll's life hell.' The same source said a theory was floated internally that Driscoll had leaked reports about low munitions stockpiles — a claim the source described as 'spurious' and which the Post said was not seriously investigated. A second official told the Post that Hegseth and Buria had long claimed, without providing evidence, that Driscoll was a leaker.

According to the New York Post, Driscoll had always viewed the Army secretary role as temporary and intended to leave after a few years to support a Vance presidential run, but moved up his departure because of his deteriorating relationship with Hegseth. His last day could come as early as September 4, according to the Post. Hegseth's top spokesman Sean Parnell is among the leading internal candidates to replace Driscoll, the Post reported.

The White House did not deny the resignation when asked about it Monday. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement: 'Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump's agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and more. The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War.' It remained unclear at the time of reporting whether the White House had formally accepted the resignation.

A US Army official, speaking anonymously to Reuters as cited by The Independent, said Driscoll spoke with President Trump about the current state of the Army before submitting his resignation, though no additional details were provided. The Army declined to comment publicly. Driscoll's departure follows that of Navy Secretary John Phelan, who was the first head of a US military service to leave during Trump's second term, in April. According to the New York Post, Driscoll's resignation will leave the Army without any Senate-confirmed civilian leaders for the time being.

Driscoll's other background includes serving as an armor officer from August 2007 to March 2011, deploying to Iraq from October 2009 to July 2010, according to The Independent. He also ran unsuccessfully in the 2020 Republican primary for a North Carolina congressional seat, receiving approximately 8% of the vote, and later worked in venture capital exploring technology upgrades for the Army's drone program before taking the Army secretary role.

Where sources differ

• The New York Post names Pentagon chief of staff Ricky Buria as a central figure alongside Hegseth in making Driscoll's tenure untenable; no other source mentions Buria in connection with Driscoll's departure.
• The New York Post reports Driscoll's last day could come as early as September 4, a specific date not reported by any other source.
• The New York Post reports that Hegseth's top spokesman Sean Parnell is among leading internal candidates to replace Driscoll; no other source mentions a potential replacement.
• NPR characterises the blocking of promotions of Black and female Army officers as among the personnel differences that caused friction between Driscoll and Hegseth; other sources do not specifically cite this as a factor.
• NPR states Driscoll served 18 months on the job; given his February 2025 confirmation, the arithmetic of 18 months does not align with an August 31 resignation date, though multiple sources use the '18 months' characterisation without reconciling it with the confirmation date.

• Whether the White House has formally accepted Driscoll's resignation had not been confirmed at the time of reporting.
• No official reason for the resignation has been publicly stated by Driscoll, the White House, or the Army.
• Pete Hegseth and Ricky Buria did not comment publicly in any of the sources; their direct positions or responses to the characterisations made by anonymous officials are absent.
• The identity or timeline of Driscoll's replacement as Army secretary has not been confirmed; only the New York Post names a potential candidate.
• The specific circumstances of Driscoll's conversation with President Trump before submitting his resignation were not detailed in any source.
• The sourcing for the leaked munitions stockpile allegation against Driscoll is entirely anonymous and its basis is unverified.
• The extent to which Vice President Vance was involved in or aware of the resignation decision is not established.
• No source provides Driscoll's own direct public statement about his resignation or its reasons.

1. Arab News — original — by malawi
2. NPR News — by The Associated Press
3. The Independent — by Graeme Massie and Ap
4. The Jerusalem Post — by REUTERS
5. Al Jazeera English — by Al Jazeera Staff
6. The Guardian US — by Guardian staff and agencies
7. New York Post — by Victor Nava, Steven Nelson

Read the original at Arab News

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