Hegseth’s pick faces competition in search for new Army secretary

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon spokesman and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s top choice for the next Army secretary, is among at least four candidates being considered for the role, sources familiar with the process told The Hill this week.

The field also includes at least two current officials — Marc Anderson, an assistant secretary of the Army, and Derrick Anderson, an assistant secretary of Defense — and Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), an Army veteran who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sources said.

Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s departure from the Trump administration this week closed the book on an 18-month tenure in which the close ally of Vice President Vance pushed for rapid modernization of America’s largest fighting force, but repeatedly clashed behind-the-scenes with Hegseth.

That leaves the Army without a Senate-confirmed leader on the civilian or uniformed side of operations, after Hegseth in April forced out the Army’s widely respected chief of staff, Gen. Randy George.

On Thursday, President Trump announced that Adam Telle , the current assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, would be the Army’s acting secretary, catching some current and defense officials by surprise.

Telle, an Alabama native, has spent years working in Republican offices on Capitol Hill, most recently as Sen. Bill Hagerty’s (R-Tenn.) chief of staff.

“My previous work in the Army focused on moving at Trump Speed to deliver on one of the Army’s original missions. I will apply that same relentless focus on efficiency to how the Army mans, trains, equips, and modernizes,” Telle said in his first statement as acting Army Secretary on Friday.

It is unclear when Trump will nominate a permanent replacement for Driscoll, or whether Telle might be tapped to stay in the role for the long-term.

Multiple sources inside and outside the Pentagon said Hegseth’s choice would be Parnell, who is also his senior advisor.

“Every senior leader in [the] Pentagon knows that Secretary Hegseth’s preferred pick is Sean Parnell,” a senior Pentagon official said. “Sean’s well-respected across the Department, and viewed as a solid choice.”

The Hill first reported last week that Hegseth was considering choosing Parnell for the post once Driscoll departs the administration.

Parnell has support from multiple senior White House officials and some of the president’s outside advisers, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter.

Parnell has been in touch with the White House about the role in recent days, one Pentagon official said this week. But a senior administration official denied it, adding that Parnell is “100 percent focused on executing the job he has now.”

When reached for comment on Friday, the White House referred The Hill to Trump’s Thursday Truth Social post announcing Telle as acting Army secretary.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is leading the search for Driscoll’s replacement, sources told CBS News .

Parnell, who was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart for his service in Afghanistan, ran for Congress twice. With Trump’s endorsement, he ran for Senate in Pennsylvania, but withdrew from the race in November 2021, losing a court fight over custody of his three children, which included faced allegations of abuse by his enstranged wide. Parnell has denied the allegations. Parnell said in 2024 he had been “vindicated” and he now shares custody of all five of his children, Pentagon officials said.

A senior government official with close knowledge of the situation told The Hill that there is “eagerness” among “most” of the Army’s three- and four-star generals to work with Parnell “given his institutional and combat experience.”

Some officials have argued that Parnell could have a tough time being confirmed and his possible selection has already drawn rebuttals from some defense-focused Democrats.

“Sean Parnell is Liar-in-Chief for this disastrous war in Iran. Now, Pete Hegseth wants to reward him by making him SecArmy,” Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), a West Point graduate who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said on Thursday. “He’s dangerously unfit for the job and we must stop him.”

Another person floated by some in the administration is Mast, who served for 12 years in the Army and has earned multiple medals, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

However, plucking Mast from the House would further degrade the GOP’s slim majority in the lower chamber. Mast, who currently holds a safe red seat in Florida, recently met with Hegseth, according to an administration official.

Some within the administration fear Mast’s vocal support for Israel could rankle the MAGA base.

“Mast has already pitched himself to everyone in DC who will listen, including Secretary Hegseth; he’s a try-hard and largely viewed as out of touch with Trump supporters,” the official said.

Mast’s office did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Derrick Anderson, a former GOP congressional candidate in Virginia who is currently Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, is another name in the mix, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

Marc Anderson, the assistant Secretary of the Army, Financial Management and Comptroller, is also being mentioned as the potential successor to Driscoll, one person familiar with the discussions within the Pentagon said.

Marc Anderson, who has held multiple executive leadership roles within venture capital, is not well known outside of Army circles.

NBC News reported on Friday that Sam Brown, the undersecretary for memorial affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, is being floated by some in Congress and in the administration as a possible Driscoll replacement. He ran unsuccessfully twice for Senate in Nevada.

Brown, a West Point graduate, deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Kandahar, eventually medically retiring with the rank of captain.