Driscoll breaks silence after resigning as Army secretary

Dan Driscoll broke his silence late Tuesday, announcing that his last full day as Army secretary will be Wednesday, but he did not offer a reason for why he is resigning from the post he has held for 18 months.

“As a third-generation Army veteran, it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as the Secretary of the Army under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. Tomorrow is my last full day in the role,” Driscoll said in a post on the social platform X. “Our Soldiers, Civilians and their Families are our Nation’s very best, and they have inspired me every day. I am sincerely thankful for their service and sacrifice.”

“I had the privilege of working with them to modernize and accelerate how the Army mans, trains, and equips the most lethal fighting force on the face of the earth. We could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth,” Driscoll continued, praising the Pentagon chief, with whom he has had tensions since the two got to the Pentagon in early 2025.

“I am forever grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to once again serve my country,” he added.

Driscoll went to the White House on Monday and spoke with the president about the “current state” of the Army before tendering his resignation, The Hill and other news outlets reported.

Driscoll’s departure underlines how Hegseth is imposing his will and consolidating power at the Pentagon.

Apart from the turf war Driscoll has been embroiled in with Hegseth, the Defense secretary has ousted several senior Army leaders with whom the Army secretary has worked o modernize the service branch’s warfighting efforts.

The Army’s vice chief of staff, Gen. James Mingus, retired without explanation in October. Hegseth then fired the Army’s chief of staff , Gen. Randy George, and in June Gen. Chris Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa , retired.

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who was Hegseth’s military adviser, has been serving as the Army’s acting chief of staff since George’s removal.

The Pentagon is looking to confirm LaNeve, the former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., as Army chief of staff, but the potential nomination is facing objections from senators in both parties.

Driscoll cultivated relationships with lawmakers in both parties on Capitol Hill. Some of those same lawmakers were unhappy with his departure from the administration, criticizing Hegseth for firing or sidelining more than two dozen senior military officers since taking the helm at the Pentagon.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was “disappointed” to learn of Driscoll’s departure.

“I’m hearing the same rumors everybody else is: that he was frustrated with some of his top generals being released,” Rounds told reporters on Tuesday, adding, “that’s not the first time I’ve heard that.”