Sec. Dan Driscoll will resign as Army Secretary effective September 3, 2026. Driscoll, who has served as Army Secretary for 18 months, has been a major force resisting certain reforms in the Department of War undergoing a massive transformation under Sec. Pete Hegseth, report sources in the Pentagon. Driscoll wanted to push the Army in a different direction with reforms of his own.
The White House confirmed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's resignation in a statement from spokesperson Anna Kelly. "Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing the President's agenda for the Department of the Army to Make America Strong Again, providing exceptional leadership during this historic time, restoring a culture of readiness and lethality to the Army, and helping to negotiate an end to the conflict with Russia in Ukraine and other issues," Kelly said. "The Army is now the strongest it has ever been thanks to Secretary Driscoll's work with the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War."
Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran who served as a Ranger, is a tech investor and a close friend of the Vice President, JD Vance. He was confirmed by the Senate in a 66-28 vote in February of 2025. He worked to cut through red tape in the military's acquisition process, fought to allow the services to repair their own equipment, and created the $750 million FUZE fund, which is a venture-capital-style program that aims to take a concept to a working prototype in 70 days. He also worked to integrate American forces closer with Ukrainian tactics and units.
Driscoll also was a strong proponent of the further American involvement in the Ukraine war, which the administration is against from the President on down.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the Secretary of the Army's surprise resignation, given the well-documented tensions he had with the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon leadership over the past several months. That post could go to another high-profile politician and Army veteran: Sean Parnell, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
This overhaul is part of a larger shake-up of Army leadership under Hegseth, who already removed Army top general Randy George from his post in April. Additionally, in June, Europe and Africa commander General Christopher Donahue suddenly stepped down. Since then, General Christopher LaNeve has been acting chief of staff of the Army.
Driscoll spoke directly to soldiers at the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting in October 2025: "You have been let down. You have been fighting, deploying, training and preparing for years, and you've always had each other's backs, but unfortunately, your civilian leadership hasn't always done the same for you."
Driscoll was also known for undermining Hegseth's efforts and was reportedly gunning for the top job 'in the building', sources familiar with the situation told AFP.
