The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 31st (local time) that U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who had been at odds with U.S. Ministry of National Defense (War Department) Minister Pete Hegseth, has resigned. As the Iran war drags on, another vacancy has opened in the U.S. military leadership.
WSJ said, "Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Trump after months of tension with Defense Minister Hegseth over the military's direction of operations and the successive dismissals of senior Army officers." WSJ added that he is expected to leave the Pentagon in a few days.
Driscoll, a close aide to Vice President JD Vance, clashed with Minister Hegseth early in the second administration after President Trump proposed a schedule to meet with service members and discuss military reform. Hegseth was said to have taken this as the Army secretary overstepping authority.
Tensions escalated when Minister Hegseth abruptly dismissed former Army Chief of Staff Randy George without explanation on Apr. 4, prompting Minister Driscoll to appear at a hearing and air his dissatisfaction. Since then, the Army chief of staff role has been filled in an acting capacity by Deputy Army Chief of Staff Christopher Lanev, who had served as Minister Hegseth's military adviser.
With Minister Driscoll's resignation, there is no longer any formally confirmed leadership in the U.S. Army approved by the Senate. Amid the prolonged Iran war, internal controversy within the military continues to brew, with even speculation rising that Minister Hegseth could run for president.
White House Spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement, "Minister Driscoll demonstrated outstanding leadership in historic military operations and restored readiness and the military's lethality," adding, "He has been highly effective in advancing President Trump's 'Make America Great Again' agenda, including supporting negotiations between Russia and Ukraine."
Minister Driscoll is a longtime friend of Vice President Vance and a Yale Law School classmate. A former Army officer who served in the Iraq War, he has served as Army secretary since February last year.