U.S Army Secretary Resigns

​US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation after 18 months in office, culminating months of intense friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over force modernization and a sweeping purge of top military brass.

​Driscoll, 41, the youngest person ever to hold the post, tendered his resignation to President Donald Trump following direct discussions regarding the state of the service. His departure leaves the nation’s largest military branch without a Senate-confirmed civilian or uniformed head, compounding a leadership vacuum at the Pentagon.

​The White House praised Driscoll’s tenure, issuing a statement crediting him with advancing the administration’s defense agenda, boosting battlefield readiness, and spearheading initiatives to incorporate low-cost drone technology.

​Behind closed doors, however, relations between Driscoll and Hegseth deteriorated steadily. The breaking point followed Hegseth’s abrupt removal of Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and other senior military leaders earlier this year. Driscoll, a close ally of George who publicly lamented the general’s forced retirement, clashed with the defense secretary over strategic direction, procurement bureaucracy, and personnel changes.

ADVERTISEMENT

​An Iraq War veteran and close confidant of Vice President JD Vance from their days at Yale Law School, Driscoll also undertook high-profile diplomatic missions, representing the administration in negotiations aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

​Driscoll’s exit follows a string of high-profile departures across the defense apparatus, including Navy Secretary John Phelan, who was forced out in April. With General George’s departure and the subsequent temporary installation of General Christopher LaNeve as acting chief of staff, the Army faces an uncertain transition as the administration weighs potential replacements, including Pentagon public affairs official Sean Parnell.