Another Trump official resigns: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll breaks his silence as he throws in the towel following reports of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Dan Driscoll announced that he is stepping down as Army secretary after 18 months in the role, but he did not give a specific reason for his resignation.
“As a third-generation Army veteran, it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Secretary of the Army under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. Tomorrow is my last full day in the role,” Driscoll wrote on X. “Our Soldiers, Civilians and their Families are our Nation’s very best, and they have inspired me every day. I am sincerely thankful for their service and sacrifice.”
Driscoll credited the Army’s troops and civilian workforce for the progress made during his tenure while also thanking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with whom he has had a strained relationship since both arrived at the Pentagon in early 2025.
“I had the privilege of working with them to modernize and accelerate how the Army mans, trains, and equips the most lethal fighting force on the face of the earth. We could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth,” he wrote.
He closed by thanking President Donald Trump, writing, “I am forever grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to once again serve my country.”
Driscoll traveled to the White House on August 31 and spoke with Trump about the “current state” of the Army before formally tendering his resignation, an Army official told CNN.
White House confirms resignation, praises Dan Driscoll’s tenure
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly issued a statement praising Driscoll’s tenure.
“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,” she said. “The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the commander-in-chief and secretary of war.”
A White House official said Driscoll had been asked to remain in the role until after the midterm elections but told the Trump administration he felt it was time to leave. Driscoll reportedly told close associates in the preceding days that he wanted to leave the administration by Labor Day.
Reasons behind the resignation
Driscoll’s resignation letter and conversations with Trump administration officials pointed to two central grievances: frustration that his Army modernization initiatives were being obstructed and anger over Hegseth’s removal of senior generals who had been central to those efforts.
A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Driscoll “brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible.” A separate source familiar with the matter told CBS News that Driscoll raised the same concerns directly with the Trump administration.
Driscoll’s departure leaves the Army, the military’s largest service, without Senate-confirmed leadership in either its civilian or uniformed top posts.
Turf war with Pete Hegseth and the purge of senior Army leaders
Driscoll’s exit underscores how Hegseth has consolidated authority at the Pentagon. Beyond the friction between the two men, Hegseth has ousted several senior Army leaders with whom Driscoll worked to modernize the service’s warfighting capabilities.
The Army’s vice chief of staff, Gen. James Mingus, retired without explanation in October 2025. Hegseth later removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, retired in June.
Driscoll had a close working relationship with George and told Congress in April that he did not know why George had been removed. Driscoll testified that he and his family drove to George’s house after the removal “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 during the congressional appearance.
NPR reported that personnel disputes were seen as a central, though not the only, source of friction between Driscoll and Hegseth. The outlet also reported that Hegseth had blocked the promotions of Black and female Army officers who had Driscoll’s support.
Gen. Christopher LaNeve, previously Hegseth’s military adviser and a former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has served as the Army’s acting chief of staff since George’s removal. The Pentagon is seeking to have LaNeve confirmed as permanent Army chief of staff, though senators from both parties have raised objections to his potential nomination.
Under LaNeve, the Army has moved to dismantle a drone modernization program that Driscoll had championed. Officials said in August that a Europe-based Army unit developing its own drones, drawing on lessons from Ukraine’s drone operations against Russia, was directed to end the effort and return to functioning as a conventional infantry battalion.