U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll resigns amid tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

United States Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll has submitted his resignation following months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to media reports.

Asked about a Wall Street Journal report on Driscoll’s resignation on Monday, the White House did not deny it.

“Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and more,” Spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.

“The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War,” she added.

The Reuters news agency, citing a source familiar with the matter, said it was unclear whether the White House has accepted Driscoll’s resignation.

The army declined to comment.

Driscoll, a former law school classmate of Vice President JD Vance, is the latest senior official to leave the Pentagon under Hegseth.

The defence secretary fired Army Chief of Staff Randy George in April, while the Army’s commander in Europe and Africa, General Christopher Donahue, unexpectedly stepped down in June.

Hegseth has removed several other generals and admirals, including the head of the Navy.

The Pentagon abruptly announced in April that Navy Secretary John Phelan was leaving the job, becoming the first head of a US military service to depart during President Donald Trump’s second term.

The Reuters source said Driscoll had brought up concerns with the Trump administration “surrounding Army transformation and readiness” as well as “Hegseth’s blocking [of] those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible”.

Driscoll was confirmed for the top army position in February 2025 and pushed the army to be more nimble in acquiring cheaper weapons, and chastised large weapons makers. The army secretary is responsible for training and equipping soldiers.

One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Hegseth saw Driscoll as a threat within the bureaucracy and had long wanted to remove him. But his ties to Vance, the official said, made it tough for Hegseth to do so.

The official said George’s firing caught Driscoll off guard and led to increased frustration with Hegseth.

Driscoll gained prominence outside the Pentagon when he was tapped by Trump to take part in talks with Moscow and Kyiv to end Russia’s war in Ukraine – a rare diplomatic task for an army secretary.

Driscoll was deployed during the Iraq war, and later ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020 before advising Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign.