Pentagon Chief Hegseth Reportedly Fears Replacement by Army Secretary Driscoll Amid Internal Tensions

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is worried that US President Donald Trump is considering replacing him with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a longtime friend of Vice President JD Vance, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources. According to the newspaper, the concern emerged after a journalist revealed in March 2025 that Hegseth had "posted classified war plans in a Signal chat with senior national-security aides." "The dynamic between Hegseth and Driscoll said their relationship was fraught with tension from the beginning," The Wall Street Journal notes. Back in early 2025, Driscoll came to the Pentagon chief and offered to organize a visit by Vance and Trump to meet soldiers and talk about reforming the Army. "Hegseth raised his voice, telling Driscoll that he, Hegseth, was in charge and ordered Driscoll to stay in his lane," the paper points out. The Washington Post reported earlier that Hegseth could not fire Driscoll, "so he's going to make his life hell." In November 2025, Trump included Driscoll in the US delegation negotiating a solution to the Ukraine conflict, which "led to widespread questions within the Pentagon on why Driscoll, and not his boss, Hegseth, was chosen for this task," The Wall Street Journal writes. "Hegseth told associates he wanted the White House to take Driscoll off the negotiations," said several people with knowledge of the internal discussions. Meanwhile, Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, stated that Hegseth "maintains excellent working relationships with the secretaries of every military service branch, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll."