Trump appoints new acting secretary of the U.S. Army

Donald Trump has appointed Adam Telle as acting secretary of the U.S. Army, saying the senior Defense Department official is “a great patriot who is respected by everyone.”

Trump announced the appointment in a post on his Truth Social account, and Telle took up the position immediately. Before the appointment, he served as deputy secretary responsible for civilian construction projects.

The acting appointment followed the resignation of Daniel Driscoll, which U.S. media reported earlier in the week. Reuters cited an unnamed source familiar with the matter as saying Driscoll resigned after several months of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Associated Press reported that Driscoll had not provided an official explanation for his departure.

U.S. cabinet secretaries require Senate approval to take office officially and hold their positions on a more permanent basis. American media have described Driscoll as a longtime friend of Vice President J.D. Vance, whom he knows from law school.

Driscoll also worked closely with Randy George, whom Hegseth fired earlier this year as chief of staff of the U.S. Army. The Guardian reported that several other senior officials have left their posts under Hegseth, including former Navy Secretary John Phelan, Admiral Alvin Holsey, who led U.S. Southern Command, and General Chris Donahue, who headed U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa.

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He is a great patriot who is respected by everyone.