Trump administration considers replacements for Army secretary Dan Driscoll amid Iran war tensions

The Pentagon, headquarters of the US department of war (Photo: AP).

At least four candidates have reportedly emerged as potential replacements for former US army secretary Dan Driscoll, as the Trump administration moves to fill the post following his resignation. Among those being considered is Marc Andersen, assistant secretary of the army for financial management and comptroller, whom President Donald Trump has already been briefed on, NBC News reported, citing sources. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson and a former Army officer, is also reportedly expected to receive the backing of defence secretary Pete Hegseth. Another option under discussion is for someone else to become Army secretary while Parnell takes on a senior role in running the branch, NBC reported. This comes as Driscoll resigned last week following repeated clashes with Hegseth over several issues linked to the Iran war and formally left the administration after serving for 18 months. Trump on Thursday announced that Adam Telle, the army’s assistant secretary for civil works, would serve as acting secretary. However, it remains unclear how quickly a permanent replacement will be nominated. The search comes as the army faces a broader leadership vacuum. Its chief of staff, gen. Randy George, was asked to step down by Hegseth earlier this year, while the branch is also under pressure amid more than six months of war with Iran. Separately, according to sources cited by news agency Reuters, the White House has been reviewing possible candidates to replace the deputy secretary of war, Steve Feinberg. The review reportedly began as early as June and included discussions with senior senators about whether potential nominees would have enough support for confirmation. Reuters said the review was still ongoing as of late August. However, the sources said no decision had been made to remove Feinberg and did not provide a reason for the review or identify potential replacements. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the reports, saying: "These so-called anonymous 'sources' have no idea what they are talking about." The Pentagon also denied that a replacement process was underway. Hegseth said Feinberg has his full support and “isn’t going anywhere.” The possibility of further changes comes amid growing frustration within the administration over the Iran war. Trump has increasingly expressed frustration over the lack of progress in the six-month-old conflict, which has developed into a costly standoff between the US and Iran.