Dan Driscoll to leave US Army secretary post amid tension with Hegseth? Here's what report claims
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Dan Driscoll to leave US Army secretary post amid tension with Hegseth? Here's what report claims")
Dan Driscoll Photograph: (AFP)
As per report, Dan Driscoll may leave as US Army secretary by year-end amid tensions with Pete Hegseth, adding to uncertainty over Army leadership
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to leave his position by the end of the year amid growing tensions with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Driscoll's possible departure would create another leadership gap at the top of the US Army, which has already been without a Senate-confirmed chief since Hegseth removed Army Chief of Staff General Randy George in April.
Hegseth dismissed George without publicly giving a reason and has not yet nominated a permanent successor. General Christopher LaNeve, the Army's vice chief of staff and a former senior military aide to Hegseth, is currently serving as acting Army chief of staff. According to the report, Driscoll and his family moved out of the official family residence at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer. His family has relocated to North Carolina, while Driscoll is now living in a smaller apartment on the military installation.
Driscoll's relationship with Hegseth strained
A former Army Ranger and long-time friend of Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll reportedly came under Hegseth's scrutiny early in the Trump administration. The tensions emerged after Driscoll attempted to arrange a visit for Vance and President Donald Trump to meet soldiers and discuss proposed reforms to the Army.
Despite the strained relationship with Hegseth, Driscoll developed a strong partnership with George during his approximately 18 months as Army secretary. The two pushed the Army to adopt emerging technologies and argued that commercially developed innovations could have a major impact on the future of warfare. Driscoll also travelled to Ukraine alongside George and General Chris Donahue, who was then the Army's senior general in Europe. During the visit, Driscoll met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and discussed peace negotiations.
He encouraged the Army to draw lessons from the war in Ukraine, particularly regarding the use of commercially available technology on the battlefield. During Driscoll's tenure, private companies also committed more than $25 billion to projects involving data centres, critical mineral refineries and dining facilities at Army bases across the United States.
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Partnership with George disrupted
Driscoll's partnership with George was interrupted when Hegseth abruptly removed the Army chief in April. The decision drew criticism from members of Congress, including Republicans who expressed support for George. During a congressional hearing, Driscoll avoided directly criticising Hegseth but made his support for George clear.
"I, too, love Gen. George," Driscoll told lawmakers, describing him as “an amazing, transformational leader.” Despite uncertainty over his own future, Driscoll received public praise from Trump at a defence conference in Pennsylvania last month.
Trump highlighted Driscoll's presence while portraying the Army secretary as someone whose appearance did not reflect his toughness. "With that beautiful smile, but he's actually a killer. Look at that beautiful, nice face. Everything's so happy. He's a killer. Would you believe it? Those are the best guys, actually," Trump said.
