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U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump after months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Army’s future direction and the removal of several senior officers, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The White House confirmed that Driscoll had submitted his resignation following reports of tensions with Hegseth.
Asked about the Journal report, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly did not deny Driscoll’s resignation.
“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,” Kelly said in a statement.
“The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief,” she added, referring to Trump and Hegseth.
Driscoll is expected to depart the Pentagon within the next few days.
A former law school classmate of Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll had reportedly benefited from their friendship within the administration but clashed with Hegseth.
The most senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed, blamed the defense secretary for the departure.
“I do not welcome Secretary Driscoll’s resignation,” Reed said.
“It is far past time for President Trump to recognize the lasting harm that Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense,” he added.
An Army veteran who served in Iraq, Driscoll ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020 and later advised Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign.
With the Iran war entering its seventh month, the resignation could effectively leave the Army without permanent civilian or uniformed leadership.
Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April and has yet to nominate a permanent successor.
Following Driscoll’s resignation, the Army will be without a Senate-confirmed civilian or military leader.
Gen. Christopher LaNeve has been serving as acting chief of the service since Hegseth dismissed George.
Some lawmakers have expressed concern about the number of vacancies in armed forces leadership, especially as the U.S. war with Iran has passed the six-month mark.
Hegseth did not warm to Driscoll while they worked at the Defense Department, but Driscoll’s friendship with Vance offered some protection, Axios reported.
Their tensions were partly rooted in Hegseth’s alleged attempt to remove four officers—two black men and two women—from a promotions list after Driscoll refused, The New York Times reported.
In February, multiple outlets reported that Hegseth forced out one of Driscoll’s senior advisers, Col. David Butler, a former spokesperson for Trump critic Gen. Mark Milley.
Fox News reported that Driscoll had resisted pressure to fire Butler.
Driscoll, nicknamed “drone guy” for his work on military modernization, rose rapidly in the Trump administration after being nominated as Army secretary.
As the Army’s civilian leader, he oversaw its annual budget and more than 1 million active-duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers, as well as more than 330,000 civilian employees.
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