U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Resigns amid Reported Friction with Pete Hegseth

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U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, the White House said on Monday, becoming the latest high-profile official to leave the US Department of Defense.

Driscoll, who is second in command to War Secretary Pete Hegseth, had reportedly been considering leaving the Pentagon amid apparent tensions with the defence secretary.

“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,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to the Associated Press.

“The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War,” she added.

The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The resignation reportedly comes after months of turmoil at the Department of War, which has seen numerous incidents, from leak investigations and budget issues to the ousting of several senior officials including the army chief of staff Randy George in April. In June, the army’s commander of its forces in Europe and Africa, Gen Christopher Donahue, unexpectedly stepped down.

Driscoll was a George ally, and lamented his departure, as did Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Driscoll told Congress in April that he and his family drove to George’s house following his resignation “and we all gave him a hug”.

“That being said, the civilian leadership, the design of our system, is that they get to pick the leaders that they want,” Driscoll added.

Driscoll is an Iraq war veteran, tech investor and former adviser to JD Vance, whom Driscoll met at Yale law school. When nominating Driscoll in 2024, Trump called him “a disruptor and change agent”.

As army secretary, Driscoll was tapped for the unusual role of key negotiator to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. He was also a major force behind trying to cut the red tape for military contractors to quickly develop more drones and counter-drone capabilities as warfare rapidly changes around the world.

The U.S. Senate confirmed him in February 2025, voting 66-28, following an armed services committee hearing that was largely non-confrontational and focused on how the army could modernise its systems, improve recruiting and beef up the military industrial base.



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