Washington — Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is resigning, the White House confirmed Monday, after months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“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 spokesperson Anna Kelly told CBS News. “The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War.”
A U.S. official told CBS News the secretary spoke to President Trump about the current state of the Army and submitted his resignation.
CBS News reported last week that Driscoll was considering stepping down from his post by the end of the year.
An Iraq war veteran and former adviser to Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll has served as the Army’s top civilian leader since his Senate confirmation in February 2025.
His tenure has included the U.S. operation that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — which involved members of the Army’s elite Delta Force — and the ongoing war with Iran. Driscoll has also met with Ukrainian and Russian officials as part of Mr. Trump’s push to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, and his time leading the Army coincided with a plan to cut the number of U.S. forces in Germany.
But there has been behind-the-scenes tension between Hegseth and Driscoll, CBS News has reported.
Earlier this year, Hegseth ousted Gen. Randy George — a close friend of Driscoll — as Army chief of staff, asking him to retire. The Army is also phasing out a new battalion supported by George that was tasked with studying lessons on drone warfare, including from the Ukraine war, following friction between the Army officers who supported the new battalion and acting Army chief of staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve.
Driscoll is the latest high-level military official to exit. Navy Secretary John Phelan left his role earlier this year, with Mr. Trump saying Phelan “had some conflicts with some other people.” Several officers have also retired in the last year, including George, former U.S. Army Europe and Africa commander Gen. Christopher Donahue and U.S. Southern Command commander Adm. Alvin Holsey.
