Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submits resignation to Trump

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump, and it remains pending without acceptance from the White House. The move comes amid reported friction over the Army’s transformation and readiness, with Driscoll believing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had hindered those efforts, specifically through the firing of generals responsible for those areas.

The disagreement intensified this spring when Hegseth removed several senior Army leaders, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George. Driscoll addressed George’s departure during an April 16 House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, recalling that he had been in North Carolina on vacation with his family when he learned George had been asked to submit his resignation. Driscoll said he immediately drove to the general’s home.

“We walked right in, and we all gave him a hug,” Driscoll told the committee. “There is no person that has more respect for General George and his 42 years of service, his Purple Heart, his wife, Patty, their grandkids, their kids. I adore them, and he was an amazing, transformational leader.”

He added, “The design of our system is that they get to pick the leaders that they want, and we execute on those orders.”

Driscoll’s testimony offered a personal glimpse into the human side of the Pentagon’s leadership shuffle. His relationship with Hegseth has been marked by tension; the Army secretary has voiced concerns that the firing of key officers had weakened the Army’s ability to transform and remain ready.

Outside the immediate controversy, Driscoll brings a distinctive background to the role. A close ally of Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll attended Yale Law School with the vice president after both served in the military. As Army secretary, he has made expanding the service’s drone capabilities a priority, forming partnerships with Silicon Valley companies to bring new technology to the battlefield.

Reports say Driscoll is expected to leave the Pentagon in the coming days, though his formal resignation has not yet been acted upon by the White House. His departure, whether accepted or still pending, underscores a period of significant realignment at the top of the Army’s leadership as the service balances modernization, readiness, and personnel authority.