Trump Names Adam Telle as Acting Army Secretary After Dan Driscoll's Resignation
Quick Look
- President Donald Trump announced that Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will serve as acting Army Secretary following Dan Driscoll's abrupt resignation.
- Trump praised Telle as a 'Great Patriot' in a Truth Social post, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also congratulated him on X.
- Telle, confirmed by the Senate last August, previously served as chief of staff to Senators Bill Hagerty and Thad Cochran and has overseen civil works projects including flood mitigation through the Army Corps of Engineers.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Dan Driscoll was nominated by President Trump as Army Secretary last year after Trump's return to the White House. His resignation follows reports of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Adam Telle was confirmed by the Senate last August as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, becoming the second Trump-nominated Army official in the second term to be confirmed.
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Adam Telle, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will temporarily replace Dan Driscoll as the Army’s top civilian leader following Driscoll’s abrupt resignation from the role earlier this week.
Trump lauded Telle as "a Great Patriot, who is respected by all" in a Truth Social post, saying Telle would take over as acting Army Secretary “effective immediately.”
The news comes after Driscoll, who Trump nominated as Army Secretary last year after returning to the White House, stepped down amid reports of tension between him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Huge congrats to Adam,” Hegseth said in a post on X. “He is indeed a great Patriot — and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy.”
Telle was sworn into his current role as the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works last August, becoming the second person nominated by the President to an Army position in Trump's second term to be confirmed by the Senate, according to Telle's biography on the U.S. military’s website.
In that position, Telle has served as a civilian official in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an agency that builds and maintains infrastructure, including dams. According to his bio, he has had “principal authority to establish policy direction and to provide supervision of all aspects” of the civil works tasks that the agency performs for the Army, including projects aimed at reducing flood and storm damage.
Before being appointed to his current role in the Trump Administration, Telle served as the chief of staff to Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee from 2021-2025, according to Legistorm. He previously worked under another Republican, then-Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, for about a decade from 2007-2017, and held various roles in the office, including deputy chief of staff and legislative director, according to Legistorm. While serving in Cochran’s office, he helped with the lawmaker’s work on Hurricane Katrina recovery, according to his Army bio.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Adam Telle will be nominated permanently as Army Secretary if his acting performance is deemed satisfactory
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What were the specific reasons for Dan Driscoll's resignation?
- How long will Adam Telle serve as acting Army Secretary?
- Will Adam Telle be nominated permanently for the Army Secretary position?
