Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigns amid Pentagon leadership upheaval
Dan Driscoll has resigned as US Army Secretary, the White House confirmed Monday, August 31, marking another departure from the Pentagon's senior leadership amid ongoing tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly confirmed the resignation when asked about a Wall Street Journal report. "Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump's agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army," Kelly said, praising his "outstanding leadership" during military operations and his role in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The 39-year-old Driscoll, who was confirmed by the Senate in February 2025 by a vote of 66-28, became the youngest person ever to hold the position of Army Secretary. As the senior civilian official of the Department of the Army, he oversaw nearly one million soldiers across active duty, National Guard and reserve components, plus almost 300,000 civilian employees.
Driscoll's departure follows reported friction with Hegseth, who was sworn in as the 29th Secretary of Defense on January 25, 2025. Since taking office, Hegseth has fired or forced the retirement of 24 generals and senior commanders, an unprecedented purge of Pentagon leadership.
The Defense Secretary has systematically removed top military officials across multiple branches. In February 2025, he dismissed Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's top uniformed officer, and General Jim Slife, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force. President Trump separately fired General Charles "CQ" Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Army specifically experienced leadership upheaval in April 2026 when Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, removing the Army's top uniformed officer while the United States was engaged in military operations against Iran.
Navy Secretary forced out
John Phelan became the first service secretary to depart during Trump's second term when he was fired as Navy Secretary on April 22, 2026. After Hegseth told him to resign or be fired, Phelan declined to step down voluntarily and was consequently dismissed, with the Pentagon announcing his departure the same day.
Hegseth's confrontational approach to military leadership became evident in a speech to approximately 800 generals and admirals at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2025. "If the words I'm speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign," he told the assembled senior officers.
From business to diplomacy
Driscoll's path to Army Secretary was unconventional. A Yale Law School graduate and classmate of Vice President JD Vance, he spent most of his career in venture capital, private equity and business consulting before entering government service. His friendship with Vance reportedly provided support within the administration.
His military credentials included service in the US Army from 2007 to 2011, during which he led a cavalry platoon with the 10th Mountain Division, deployed to Iraq in 2009, earned the Combat Action Badge and completed Ranger School. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020 before advising Trump's 2024 reelection campaign.
In late 2025, despite having no prior diplomatic experience, Driscoll was assigned to lead US diplomatic efforts with Ukraine and Russia. He traveled to Kyiv to present a US-Russia-drafted peace plan, a mission that became central to his brief tenure as Army Secretary.
"The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War," Kelly said in her statement, using an archaic title for the Defense Secretary position.
