US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, aka Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation after serving in the role for 18 months, according to multiple officials cited by US reports on Monday (US time). His departure comes months before the November 2026 midterm elections in the US.
40-year-old Driscoll is the youngest-ever Army Secretary, whom President Donald Trump nicknamed “drone guy” for his work on military modernisation. As an Iraq war veteran who played a high-profile role in Ukraine peace talks last year, the Army’s top civilian official’s resignation
The Wall Street Journal was first to report his resignation.
Why did Dan Driscoll resign?
An administration official, cited by The New York Times, said that Driscoll handed his resignation to President Trump in person. He is believed to have discussed the current state of the US Army with the commander-in-chief during their meeting.
Reports of his potential departure started circulating online weeks before the actual confirmation, as Driscoll has been embroiled in a months-long conflict with Secretary of Defence (or Secretary of War) Pete Hegseth. Although details surrounding the pair’s rift remain unclear on the official front, The New York Times reported that the tension was, in part, fuelled by Hegseth’s alleged removal of four officers — two Black men and two women — from a promotions list after Driscoll refused to do it.
The Defence Secretary has fired more than a dozen senior military officers since he took charge at the Pentagon. The list includes the chief of naval operations and the Air Force’s vice-chief of staff. The string of other recent high-profile departures includes Navy Secretary John Phelan’s sudden exit in April, Army Chief of Staff Randy George, Maj Gen William Green and Army Gen David Hodne.
Among these exits, George is believed to have been good friends with Driscoll, according to CBS News. Multiple outlets, including the NYT, reported in February that Hegseth was behind the forced ouster of Col David Butler, one of the Army Secretary Driscoll’s senior advisors. A Fox News report also suggested that Driscoll resisted Hegseth’s pressure to fire Butler.
Both Driscoll and George encouraged soldiers to adopt new technology to become more adaptable to battlefield threats, according to The Wall Street Journal. The US Army has remained without the service’s top officer, the chief of staff, since George was fired without any explanation.
Quoting a source familiar with Driscoll’s decision, Fox News’ Chief National Security correspondent laid out a similar report, stating: “Driscoll brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the Generals who were responsible.”
Two officials, cited by the NYT, laid emphasis on the same narrative, suggesting that Driscoll had expressed his frustration with Trump about how Hegseth had ousted so many Army leaders, in addition to blocking many promotions in the service.
What is the White House saying?
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly praised Driscoll for being “highly effective in advancing” Trump’s ‘Make America Strong Again’ agenda 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,” as quoted by The Wall Street Journal and Axios.
Kelly added the US Army has become more powerful due to Driscoll’s work alongside Trump and Hegseth.
What do we know about Army Secretary Dan Driscoll?
Until recently, Dan Driscoll was being viewed as a potential replacement for Pete Hegseth if he decided to step down. However, the latest development will now likely see him leaving the Pentagon in the coming days.
Confirmed as the 26th Secretary of the US Army in February 2025, Driscoll may have failed to get on good terms with the Defence Secretary, but he has remained close friends with Vice President JD Vance over the years. The two crossed paths as classmates at Yale Law School after Driscoll departed active duty.
In addition to earning Trump’s favour, Driscoll even gained some support from the Democratic Party. During his confirmation process, 16 Democrats ended up backing him, despite other speaking out against his lack of experience.
Months after his official appointment (with Trump backing him), in November 2025, Driscoll became the highest-ranking administration official to travel to Ukraine to present a 28-point peace plan proposed by the US.
As the Secretary of the Army, the 40-year-old official earned the opportunity to do so even though playing the impromptu role of an envoy is not the typical responsibility of the service’s top civilian. Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to negotiations after meeting with the US Army Secretary, the plan failed to secure peace.
Given his post, Driscoll oversaw operations, modernisation, and resource allocation for nearly one million Active, Guard, and Reserve Soldiers and more than 265,000 Army Civilians, according to the official US Army website.
In 2007, he was commissioned as an Armor Officer through the US Army Officer Candidate School. Having secured military awards, including the Army Commendation Medal, Ranger Tab, and Combat Action Badge, Driscoll led a cavalry platoon in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, during his active duty years. In 2009, he was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The North Carolina native’s family tree has long consolidated a legacy of military service, with his grandfather serving in the Army during World War II as a decoder, and his father serving during Vietnam.
The multi-hyphenate official has worked in Yale’s Veterans Legal Services Clinic, and held leadership roles in investment banking, private equity, and business operations, including as Chief Operating Officer of a $200 million venture capital fund, according to the US Army website.
As a member of the North Carolina State Bar, the Rotary Club, VFW Post 1134, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Driscoll holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.