Army Secretary Expected to Step Down by Year’s End

[u/John3262005]

https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/army-secretary-expected-to-step-down-by-years-end-d7477efb?st=97Gy33&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to step down from his role by the end of the year, if not sooner, after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Driscoll’s departure would leave the Army without a Senate-confirmed leader. Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George as the Army’s chief of staff in April without explanation, and President Trump hasn’t nominated a replacement. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army vice chief who was formerly Hegseth’s senior military aide, is serving as acting Army chief of staff.

Driscoll and his family this summer moved out of the large family house reserved for the Army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, a military post adjacent to Arlington Cemetery where several top defense officials live, the people said. His family relocated to North Carolina over the summer. Driscoll moved into a smaller apartment on base.

Spokesmen for the Pentagon and for Driscoll declined to comment.

A longtime friend of Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll drew scorn from Hegseth in the early days of the Trump administration after Driscoll offered to organize a visit by Vance and Trump to meet soldiers and talk about reforming the Army, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.

During his 18 months as Army secretary, Driscoll formed a close partnership with George. Together, the two pushed the Army to adopt new technology, seeing it as the future of warfare. They also traveled to Ukraine together with Gen. Chris Donahue, the Army’s former top general in Europe, so Driscoll could talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about peace negotiations.

Driscoll encouraged the service to act more like the Ukrainian military in finding ways to use commercial technology on the battlefield. Under his tenure, private companies have pledged to spend more than $25 billion on building data centers, critical mineral refineries, and dining facilities on Army bases across the country.

Hegseth fired George in April and installed LaNeve.

The move drew criticism from Republicans in Congress and praise for George.

“I, too, love Gen. George,” Driscoll told lawmakers during a hearing when asked about the general’s sudden dismissal, calling him “an amazing, transformation leader.”

Driscoll, a former Army Ranger, received praise from Trump at a defense conference in Pennsylvania last month.

“With that beautiful smile, but he’s actually a killer. Look at that beautiful, nice, face. Everything’s so happy. He’s a killer. Would you believe it? Those are the best guys, actually,” Trump said.