Dan Driscoll Steps Down as Army Secretary After 18 Months

WASHINGTON (AP) – Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is leaving his position after 18 months, the White House announced on Monday, marking yet another exit of a senior military figure during the Trump administration.

No explanation was provided for Driscoll’s resignation, who is known to be a friend of Vice President JD Vance. However, there have been many reports about tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. This change adds to ongoing shifts in military leadership, particularly within the Army.

“Secretary Driscoll has played a key role in promoting President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by offering exceptional leadership during significant military operations, re-emphasizing readiness and lethality, and aiding negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, among other efforts,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a statement.

“Thanks to his collaboration with the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War, the United States Army is stronger than ever,” she added.

A U. S. Army official, who requested anonymity due to not being authorized to speak publicly, mentioned that Driscoll had discussed the current situation of the Army with President Donald Trump before submitting his resignation. The official did not provide further details. Questions were directed to the Army by the Pentagon. The Wall Street Journal reported on Driscoll’s resignation earlier on Monday.

Recent Changes Follow Other Army Exits and Drone Program Cutbacks

Driscoll’s exit comes after one of his supporters from within the Army was removed along with cuts to a drone program he had advocated for. In April, Hegseth unexpectedly dismissed Gen. Randy George, who was leading the service’s uniformed operations; additionally, Gen. Christopher Donahue stepped down unexpectedly in June from his position as commander for Europe and Africa.

Gen. Christopher La Neve has quickly ascended under Hegseth’s command and took over as acting chief of staff following George’s dismissal. Under La Neve’s direction, an end was put to a drone modernization initiative aimed at enhancing capabilities; an Army unit stationed in Europe had been working on developing its own drones until it was ordered by La Neve to cease efforts and revert back into a traditional infantry battalion in August.

Driscoll shared a strong bond with George and expressed regret over his departure along with bipartisan lawmakers from both parties. He recounted that he drove with his family to visit George after he resigned “and we all gave him a hug.”

“That being said, civilian leadership is designed so they can choose their leaders,” Driscoll remarked.

Bipartisan Praise Follows News of Departure

Rep. Steve Womack, an Arkansas Republican and former member of the Army National Guard tweeted that Driscoll is “a transformative leader who brought common sense and discipline to the Department of the Army.”

“I had the pleasure of working closely with him and appreciated how engaged he was from mentoring cadets at West Point to leading the Army at the Pentagon,” Womack stated. “The Army is better equipped and prepared for emerging threats because of his leadership which prioritized our Soldiers first.”

Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat and ex-Army Ranger commented that despite differing policies they worked well together.
“It was nice having someone who understood policy well enough that wanted to do real work,” Crow noted while adding that “it’s unfortunate someone like him can’t remain in this administration.”

Crow serves on House Armed Services Committee alongside co-chairing House Army Caucus; he expressed concern about how “the Pentagon feels rudderless,” given so many senior leaders are gone right now.
“I’m really worried about it,” he expressed.

Sensory Jack Reed from Rhode Island released a statement commending Driscoll for striving toward transforming army capabilities for future battlefields while maintaining open dialogue consistently with Congress.
“Secretary Hegseth seems intent on creating an environment where dissent isn’t tolerated while valuing personal loyalty over competence,” Reed commented as hundreds of thousands continue serving worldwide including combat zones.”

An Unexpected Role as Negotiator in Ukraine-Russia Conflict

An Iraq war veteran turned tech investor previously advised Vance whom he met during their time together at Yale Law School; when nominating him back in 2024 Trump described him simply as “a disruptor” determined towards bringing change.”

Daringly taking on one uncommon role-Driscoll found himself tasked specifically regarding negotiations aimed at resolving disputes amid Russia-Ukraine conflict. Additionally , he strongly pursued initiatives designed specifically geared towards streamlining processes around military contractors engaging quickly advancing drone technologies counteracting various evolving threats associated warfare globally.

The Senate confirmed him through voting favorable results February 2025 ,66-28 accompanying informative hearings focused primarily discussing improvement opportunities surrounding modernizing systems boosting recruitment fortifying defense industrial base overall.

Acknowledging family traditions filled previous generations serving army ; he pledged commitment towards fulfilling duties ensuring needs soldiers remained paramount throughout tenure experience. According data sourced army records indicate served armor officer capacity August 2007 March 2011 deploying Iraq October 2009 July 2010 respectively.

In addition participated competitive primary elections attempting secure congressional seat North Carolina year achieving approximately eight percent amidst crowded candidate field whereas overall performance fell short expectations due greater challenges encountered facing competition itself.

His timing coincides closely aligned several noteworthy changes initiated across ranks prompting immediate reactions reflected operational updates concerning departures generals admirals alike including notable Navy head removal recently occurring thereafter.

Abrupt announcements issued May signaled changes affecting Navy secretary John Phelan making history stand out early term interruptions observed under Trump’s second presidency ruling reign thus far.

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