Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigns amid reported friction with Defense Secretary Hegseth

Dan Driscoll, who has served as the Army’s civilian leader since February 2025, tendered his resignation Monday amid reports of heightened discord with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Military Times has learned.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news on Monday.

Resignation Details

Driscoll said he would leave the post effective Sept. 3, according to a source with knowledge of his actions. A Pentagon spokesperson could not immediately confirm the news when queried by Military Times.

Background

Driscoll is a Ranger-tabbed veteran Army officer who deployed once to Iraq. He also has a background in venture capital and Republican politics. He launched an unsuccessful campaign to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in 2020, and later worked as an advisor to President Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign.

Tenure as Army Secretary

As Army Secretary — a position he held concurrently with that of Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms until April — Driscoll championed innovation and acquisition reform. Key initiatives included:

• Defending the military’s “right to repair” its own equipment
• Developing pathways to faster test range access for industry
• Overseeing the launch of FUZE, a $750 million program that takes a page from venture capital to fast-track warfighting technology, aiming to move ideas from concept to prototype within 70 days

In an October 2025 address at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting, Driscoll went “scorched earth” on the military industrial complex’s conventional way of operating, promising to bring change.

“You have been let down,” Driscoll said, in a direct address to the soldiers in attendance. “You have been fighting, deploying, training and preparing for years, and you’ve always had each other’s backs, but unfortunately, your civilian leadership hasn’t always done the same for you.”

Friction with Hegseth

Simmering tensions between Driscoll and Hegseth have reportedly reached a boiling point in recent days. The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 21 that Driscoll had already moved his family out of the formal Army Secretary’s residence into more modest housing. NBC more recently reported that Driscoll was considering resigning as soon as Labor Day.

Multiple outlets have said Hegseth is considering Sean Parnell, an Army veteran and political operative now serving as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, as Driscoll’s replacement.

Broader Context

Driscoll’s departure under reported friction is the latest in a series of departures under Hegseth. Since assuming his post in January 2025, Hegseth has presided over the firings or early departures of:

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown
• Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti
• Gen. James Mingus, the Army’s vice chief of staff
• Army Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa

The resignation also leaves the Army effectively leaderless. Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, and has yet to nominate a replacement for the Army’s top uniformed post.