Army secretary Dan Driscoll resigns after clash with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Dan Driscoll, the U.S. Army’s civilian leader, has resigned after months of conflict with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over military leadership and the Army’s future direction.

The White House announced on the 31st that Driscoll would leave his post. The Wall Street Journal reported that he submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump after prolonged tensions with Hegseth over the Army’s direction and the repeated departure of senior officers. Reuters separately confirmed the resignation through a person familiar with the matter.

Driscoll had been regarded as a longtime friend of Vice President J.D. Vance and had previously been discussed as a possible successor to Hegseth. His departure had been expected to some extent, although he publicly rejected the possibility of resigning only five months earlier.

The resignation comes as Hegseth has replaced numerous senior military leaders during the Trump administration’s second term. Driscoll’s exit leaves the Army’s civilian leadership vacant and has prompted concern about a wider leadership gap.