Μake us preferred on Google WASHINGTON—Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Trump following months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the direction of the service and the ouster of numerous senior Army officers.
He is expected to leave the Pentagon in coming days.
With Driscoll’s departure, the Army will lack top Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders. Gen. Christopher LaNeve has served as acting chief of the service since Hegseth fired his predecessor, Gen. Randy George. Mike Obadal, the Army undersecretary, would be the highest ranking civilian after Driscoll departs.
Driscoll didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Driscoll had been expected to step down this year from his role as the civilian leader of the Army after clashing with Hegseth, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
“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 and Secretary of War,” she added.
Last week, Driscoll attended the retirement ceremony at Fort Bragg for Gen. Chris Donahue , who served as the top Army officer in Europe until Hegseth downgraded his position, effectively bringing an end to his military career.
Donahue’s abrupt departure was presented as part of Hegseth’s broader push to shrink the number of generals and admirals by 10% overall, plus a 20% cut to the number of four-star positions, the Journal reported .
But lawmakers expressed concern over the departure of a highly regarded officer who led the Delta Force in the fight against Islamic State.
Some Republicans also have pushed back on Hegseth’s preference that LaNeve become the next Army chief of staff, signaling that LaNeve might not get confirmed if nominated. LaNeve’s recent decision to phase out an futuristic Army assault battalion has further fueled congressional concerns about the future direction of the service under his leadership.
Driscoll is a former law school classmate of Vice President JD Vance . A former Army officer, he forged a close relationship with George, the former Army chief of staff who was fired by Hegseth in April. The two pushed soldiers to adopt new technology and become more adaptable to battlefield threats.
Driscoll and Dave Fitzgerald, the deputy undersecretary of the Army, have pushed private companies to invest in building data centers, critical-mineral refineries and college campus-style dining facilities on bases. Companies have pledged billions of dollars in investments in these facilities on military posts. Most recently, they announced a partnership with FedEx Dataworks to modernize the service’s domestic logistics networks.
Fitzgerald, who served in uniform with Driscoll, also is expected to step down from his position later this week, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Write to Michael R. Gordon at michael.gordon@wsj.com and Marcus Weisgerber at marcus.weisgerber@wsj.com
