Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned from his post after months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the White House confirmed Monday. A U.S. official told CBS News that Driscoll spoke directly to President Trump about the current state of the Army before submitting his resignation. Deputy Army Undersecretary Dave Fitzgerald is also expected to step down this week, according to that official.
The White House framed the departure in positive terms. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CBS News: "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."
Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran and former adviser to Vice President JD Vance, was confirmed by the Senate in February 2025. His tenure covered a wide range of military activity. He oversaw the U.S. operation that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which involved members of the Army's elite Delta Force, and his time as secretary coincided with the ongoing war with Iran. He also met with Ukrainian and Russian officials as part of Trump's push to end Russia's war against Ukraine, and he presided over plans to reduce the number of U.S. forces stationed in Germany.
Behind the scenes, tensions with Hegseth had been building for months. Earlier this year, Hegseth pushed out Gen. Randy George, a close friend of Driscoll, as Army chief of staff, asking him to retire. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, also filed for retirement. Both George and Donahue had supported a newly formed Army drone battalion designed to gather lessons from the intense drone warfare in Ukraine. The Army began making plans to phase out that unit earlier this month, following friction between the officers who backed the battalion and acting Army chief of staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve.
George and Driscoll had also jointly rolled out a broader initiative called the Army Transformation Initiative, which focused partially on introducing more unmanned systems into the force. A source familiar with the matter told CBS News that Driscoll had raised concerns with the Trump administration about the Army's transformation efforts and the fact that Hegseth had pushed out several of the generals responsible for that transformation.
CBS News had reported last week that Driscoll was considering stepping down by the end of the year. His exit makes him the latest high-level military official to leave the administration. Navy Secretary John Phelan also left his role earlier this year.
No replacement for Driscoll has been announced as of Monday.
