Army secretary resigns after months of tension with Pete Hegseth

Army secretary resigns after months of tension with Pete Hegseth.

Key points

• After repeated tensions with Pete Hegseth, army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump on August 31, the White House remarked.
• "The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War, " Kelly continued.
• Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump on Aug.
• Driscoll's resignation, which comes 18 months after he assumed the post, leaves the Army without a Senate-confirmed leader.
• Reuters, CNN and multiple other outlets documented that Driscoll has repeatedly expressed worries regarding readiness in the Army and the removal of top Army office-holders, such as George.

Army secretary resigns after months of tension with Pete Hegseth. Miles J. Herszenhorn USA TODAY. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigns after 18 months in office.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump on Aug. 31, the White House remarked, departing after repeated tensions with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.

Driscoll's resignation, which comes 18 months after he assumed the post, leaves the Army without a Senate-confirmed leader. Gen. Christopher LaNeve has served as the Army's acting chief of staff after Hegseth asked Gen. Randy George to step down from his position in April and immediately retire.

Driscoll is the latest military leader to leave his office against the backdrop of a string of departures. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the Army's commander in Europe and Africa, left his post in June after Hegseth downgraded his command. Hegseth additionally fired Navy Secretary John Phelan in April.

Driscoll and George grew close as they collaborated on efforts to modernize the Army, pushing for the adoption of extra technology as the war in Ukraine has ushered in a new era of drone warfare. In remarks to lawmakers shortly after George's ouster, Driscoll heaped praise on his former colleague.

"There is no person that has more respect for Gen. George, " Driscoll remarked during a House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing in April. "He was an amazing transformational leader."

George established a new assault battalion in Europe to study drone and robotic warfare, but his successor, LaNeve, killed the initiative, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal and CBS News.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly remarked in an official note that "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."

For context, the Wall Street Journal, which first documented on Driscoll's resignation, additionally documented that Dave Fitzgerald, the deputy undersecretary of the Army, is anticipated to resign afterwards this week. The Pentagon referred questions to the Army.

Driscoll is a former adviser to Vice President JD Vance. The two men became close after they were classmates at Yale Law School. White House Correspondent Joey Garrison contributed reporting to this story. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around army secretary resigns after months of tension with Pete Hegseth point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.