WASHINGTON (AP) — Dan Driscoll said his last full day as U.S. Army secretary was Wednesday, but his social media post offered no explanation for why he is stepping down after 18 months as the service’s civilian leader.
Driscoll is a friend of Vice President JD Vance and has good relationships with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. But tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been widely reported, and some of Driscoll’s allies in the Army were ousted this year by President Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief.
Driscoll spoke with Trump on the current state of the Army before he submitted his resignation this week, The Associated Press has reported.
Any concerns were absent from Driscoll’s post on X late Tuesday night, which was his first public statement since the White House confirmed his departure Monday. Driscoll said it has been “the honor of a lifetime” to serve as Army secretary under Trump and Hegseth.
Driscoll praised the soldiers, their families and the Army’s civilian workforce for helping “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,” he added.
Driscoll is departing as fighting reignites in the Middle East
His exit comes as the U.S. military has returned to launching airstrikes against Iran after a lull in hostilities during the more than six-month-old war, leaving the nation’s largest fighting force without top civilian or uniformed leaders who have been confirmed by the Senate. It was not immediately clear who would fill Driscoll’s role at least temporarily.
Hegseth in April ousted the Army’s top uniformed leader, Gen. Randy George, an ally of Driscoll. Gen. Christopher LaNeve took over as the Army’s acting chief of staff and recently pulled the plug on a drone modernization program that Driscoll had championed.
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers sent a letter this week to Driscoll and LaNeve to express “deep concerns” about eliminating the specialized drone unit and to request a briefing from the Army to explain its decision.
As Army secretary, Driscoll was a major force behind efforts to cut the red tape so military contractors could quickly develop more drones and counter-drone capabilities as modern warfare evolves.
Driscoll also was tapped last year for the unusual assignment of key negotiator to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly noted Driscoll’s role in those negotiations in Monday’s statement on his resignation, adding that Driscoll provided “outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality.”
Lawmakers from both parties criticize Hegseth as Driscoll departs
Both Republicans and Democrats have lamented Driscoll’s resignation, while some used it as an opportunity to criticize Hegseth’s leadership.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is retiring and sometimes has clashed with Trump, urged the president in a social media post Wednesday to “find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it.”
Besides George, Hegseth has fired more than a dozen top generals and admirals without explanation since he took office last year.
“Secretary Hegseth is cultivating a culture where dissent is punished and competence is secondary to personal allegiance,” Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Monday.
Before Hegseth was confirmed last year, Tillis had held out support until only moments before casting a crucial vote in favor.
“If we had a @SecWar who maintained the same priorities and forward-thinking, he would be fighting to retain talented leaders like Dan and the many flag officers he has forced into retirement,” Tillis said on X. “Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks.”
The Pentagon is likely to face questions from senators when they return to Washington
Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota predicted Tuesday that the Pentagon will face serious questions from senators when they return to Washington in two weeks.
“I’m hearing the same language everybody else is — that he was frustrated with some of his top generals being released,” Rounds said of Driscoll. “That’s not the first time I’ve heard that, and I think that points to questions that we’re going to be asking when we get back, in terms of where is the leadership?”
Asked if he is still confident in Hegseth, Rounds said, “It’s a matter of whether or not the president is.”
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the criticism of Hegseth over Driscoll’s resignation.
Some Republicans defended Hegseth’s leadership.
“I think Secretary Hegseth has every authority to go out there and say, ‘We’re going to have the right people cover in interim or in permanency, making sure they’re the most well equipped, they’re the most motivated, they’re the most driven to go out there, train and be ready for their job,’” said Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast, who is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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