US Army Secretary Driscoll may leave post by year-end — WSJ
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to leave his post by the end of the year amid strained relations with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. NDTV World reports this, citing The Wall Street Journal.
His possible departure could create another vacancy in the US Army’s senior leadership. The position of Army Chief of Staff has lacked a Senate-confirmed leader since April, when Hegseth removed General Randy George. The reasons for this decision were not publicly explained, and a permanent successor to George has not yet been nominated.
Deputy Chief of Staff General Christopher LaNeve is serving as acting Army Chief of Staff. He previously served as Hegseth’s senior military aide.
Strained relations
According to the publication, friction between Driscoll and Hegseth emerged at the beginning of Donald Trump’s administration. One of the reasons was the Army Secretary’s attempt to arrange a visit by President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to service members to discuss plans for reforming the Army.
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This summer, Driscoll and his family moved out of the official family residence at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. His family relocated to North Carolina, while Driscoll himself moved into a smaller apartment on the military facility.
Cooperation with General George
During approximately 18 months in office, Driscoll worked closely with General George. They advocated for wider use of cutting-edge technology in the Army, believing that commercial developments could play a significant role in future wars.
Driscoll also visited Ukraine with George and General Chris Donahue, who was then the top US Army commander in Europe. During the trip, he spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about peace negotiations and urged the US Army to study Ukraine’s experience of using affordable commercial technologies on the battlefield.
During his tenure, private companies committed to direct more than $25 billion toward projects including data centers, critical minerals processing facilities, and dining halls at US military bases. George’s removal was also criticized by some Republicans in Congress who supported the general.
