US army secretary resigns after months of tension

ByNardine Saad and Christal Hayes.

Key points

• Other notable departures include Army Chief of Staff Randy George, Army Gen David Hodne and Maj Gen William Green.
• Driscoll previously served in the Army and was an officer in 2007 before leading a cavalry platoon and deploying to Iraq for a number of months in 2009.
• US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation after regarding 18 months in the role.
• Driscoll is the latest in a string of recent high-profile military leaders to depart, including Navy Secretary John Phelan who abruptly quit in April.
• He took on a leading role last year in discussions aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, taking on foreign trips and gathering with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

His departure was confirmed by CBS, the BBC's US media partner. It documented it came after months of conflict between him and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Meanwhile, the youngest-ever army secretary has often been referred to as President Donald Trump's "drone guy".

Driscoll, 41, has been "highly effective" in advancing Trump's agenda "to Make America Strong Again" and provided "outstanding leadership" during military operations, the White House remarked in an official note given to CBS.

In practice, the BBC has contacted the White House, Pentagon and Army for comment.

Since entering the Pentagon, Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers, including the chief of naval operations and the Air Force's vice-chief of staff.

Notably, the details of the behind-the-scenes friction between Driscoll and Hegseth are unclear but CBS notes that the army secretary is good friends with George. This person was reportedly asked by Hegseth to resign.

Meanwhile, the post of army secretary is the top civilian leader of the US Army, directing active duty troops, along with the National Guard and reserve soldiers.

As army secretary, Driscoll became known as Trump's "drone guy" due to his embrace of emerging battlefield technologies.

He's additionally a close ally and friend of Vice-President JD Vance, whom he met at Yale Law School.

During his tenure as head of the US Army, he was a key figure in Trump's deployment of the National Guard to US cities.

He additionally took over the role of acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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