Due to tension with Hegseth: US Secretary of the Army expected to resign
Dan Driscoll is expected to resign from his position by the end of the year following months of tension with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, reported The Wall Street Journal. The report comes after Hegseth fired the US Army Chief of Staff in April. According to the report, Driscoll's family already left the official residence reserved for the Secretary of the Army during the summer.
US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, who is in charge of the US land forces, is expected to resign from his position by the end of the year following months of tension with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. This was reported over the weekend in The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the details of the conversations.
Driscoll's resignation will leave the US Army without a leader confirmed by the Senate. In April, Hegseth fired the US Army Chief of Staff, General Randy George, and President Donald Trump has yet to appoint a replacement. Temporarily, George's deputy, General Christopher LaNeve, who previously served as Hegseth's senior military advisor, is currently serving as the acting Chief of Staff.
During the last few months, Driscoll and his family vacated the large family home designated for the Secretary of the Army at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall — a military base near Arlington Cemetery where some of the senior security officials reside. According to the report, his family moved to North Carolina during the summer, while Driscoll moved to a smaller apartment on the base grounds. Spokespeople for the Pentagon and for Driscoll declined to comment on the report.
Driscoll, a close friend of Vice President J.D. Vance, drew Hegseth's ire in the early days of the Trump administration after he suggested organizing a visit by Vance to Trump with the goal of meeting soldiers and discussing reforms in the army.
The future of the war
During his 18 months as Secretary of the Army, Driscoll developed a close partnership with General Randy George, whom Hegseth fired. Together, the two pushed the army to adopt new technologies, with the view that they represent the future of the battlefield. The two even traveled to Ukraine together with General Chris Donahue, former commander of US Army forces in Europe, so that Driscoll could speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about peace negotiations.
Driscoll encouraged the military branch to act more like the Ukrainian army when it comes to finding ways to use civilian-commercial technology on the battlefield. Under his tenure, private companies committed to investing over $25 billion in building data centers, refineries for critical minerals, and dining halls on military bases across the country.
"An amazing leader"
Hegseth fired George in April and replaced him with LaNeve. The move drew criticism from Republicans in Congress, alongside words of praise showered upon George. "I love the general," Driscoll told lawmakers during a hearing when asked about the sudden dismissal, calling him "an amazing leader and a change-maker."
Driscoll, a former army officer, received praise from Trump at a security conference in Pennsylvania last month:
"With that beautiful smile, but he's actually a killer. Look at that beautiful, nice face. Everything looks so happy, but he's a killer. Would you believe it? These are the best guys, actually."
