USA · 02 September, 2026 · 2 min read
Daniel Driscoll Resigns From U.S. Army After Tensions With Pete Hegseth
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll resigned after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Resignation follows months of friction with Hegseth and warnings to White House.
Whether Driscoll’s resignation was driven by personal vs institutional crisis.
3 of 4 outlets skipped it: a Reuters source says deputy undersecretary Dave Fitzgerald may also resign.
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CNN
“In the aftermath of the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, multiple sources told CNN they believe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is damaging the Army’s efforts to adapt”Read the original ↗
The Atlantic
“Driscoll argued that the Army could not transform itself the way it needs to, because of the departure of so many leaders”Read the original ↗
CNN spotlights culture-war modernisation damage; The Atlantic stresses leadership purge harms transformation.
Driscoll resigns amid clashes
U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to media reports cited in the Reuters account and officials referenced by other outlets.
“The United States Army Secretary, Daniel Driscoll, has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump”
The resignation follows Hegseth’s firing of Army Chief of Staff Randy George in April and comes as the United States remains engaged in a war with Iran with thousands of U.S. Army troops deployed across the Middle East.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that "Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda" through leadership during "historic military operations" and work on readiness and lethality.
Reuters reported that it was unclear whether the White House has accepted Driscoll’s resignation, and the army declined to comment while the Pentagon leadership shake-up continued.
White House praise vs warnings
As Driscoll’s exit was reported, ABC News said he had repeatedly warned the White House, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, about what sources described as Hegseth’s "widespread and seemingly indiscriminate firing of senior military officers."
ABC News also said Driscoll told Trump last week that Hegseth’s removals were hurting the force and shrinking the pool of officers available for future senior commands, and it said Trump appeared surprised by the extent of the problem.
In response to the resignation, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said, "Secretary Hegseth communicates with the president daily and is grateful to serve a commander-in-chief who loves our military," and he added that Hegseth "takes great pride in keeping the White House informed."
CNN reported that multiple sources believed Hegseth was damaging the Army’s efforts to adapt to the modern battlefield while prioritizing culture wars and pushing out leaders who did not align with his vision.C
Leadership void and operational risk
Several outlets tied the resignation to a widening leadership void, with El País saying George’s dismissal in April left the Army without a replacement and "leaving the service leaderless in the middle of a war with Iran."
“leaving the service leaderless in the middle of a war with Iran”
El País also said Driscoll’s resignation added to a long string of exits by top commanders and officials that critics said precipitated a "serious loss of talent and a sense of chaos" within the institution responsible for the armed forces.
In the Reuters account, Driscoll was confirmed for the top army position in February 2025 and was responsible for training and equipping soldiers, while the resignation left it unclear whether the White House had accepted it and the army declined to comment.
The Washington Post reported that Driscoll’s resignation paved the way for him to depart in coming days after repeated clashes with Hegseth, and it described the service as being run on an acting basis by Hung Cao after the shake-ups that followed George’s April firing.