The secretary of the US Army has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump after months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the army’s future direction and the removal of several senior officers, said The Wall Street Journal, citing an official announcement.
Dan Driscoll is expected to depart the Pentagon within the next few days.
“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 spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.
“The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief,” referring to Trump, and Hegseth, she added.
Breaking: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned following months of tension with Pete Hegseth https://t.co/IjckUan9sF
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 31, 2026
Following Driscoll’s resignation, the army will be without a Senate-confirmed civilian or military leader. Gen. Christopher LaNeve has been serving as acting chief of the service since Hegseth dismissed his predecessor, Gen. Randy George last April.
Some lawmakers have expressed concern about the number of vacancies in armed forces leadership, especially as the US war on Iran just passed the six-month mark.
Hegseth did not warm to Driscoll while they worked at the Defense Department, but Driscoll’s friendship with Vice President JD Vance offered some protection, according to Axios.
Their tensions were partially rooted in Hegseth’s alleged attempt to remove four officers—two Black men and two women—from a promotions list after Driscoll refused, The New York Times reported.
In February, multiple outlets reported that Hegseth forced out one of Driscoll’s senior advisers, Col. David Butler, a former spokesperson for Trump foe Gen. Mark Milley. Fox News reported that Driscoll resisted pressure to fire Butler.
Prior to his resignation Monday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll brought his concerns about the future of the Army under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directly to President Trump, during a closed-door meeting last week at the White House, four people familiar with the conversation… pic.twitter.com/D8gvJkIIif
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) September 1, 2026
Driscoll, nicknamed “drone guy” for his work on military modernization, rose rapidly in the Trump administration after being nominated to be army secretary.
As the army’s civilian leader, he oversaw its annual budget and more than 1 million active-duty, National Guard, and reserve soldiers, as well as over 330,000 civilian employees.
Source: Websites (edited by Al-Manar)