Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to step down in the coming days after the White House accepted his resignation, according to officials familiar with the matter. The move follows months of speculation about his future in the administration.
Driscoll, who has led the Department of the Army since February 2025, reportedly told close associates he planned to leave by Labor Day. He met with White House officials last week to discuss his options, though those discussions did not produce an immediate public outcome.
A longtime ally of Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll has been broadly respected across party lines. The Wall Street Journal first reported the resignation, and NBC News previously wrote that he had been considering an exit for several months.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly praised Driscoll, saying he had been “highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda” at the Army, strengthening readiness and lethality and helping on diplomatic efforts related to Russia and Ukraine. The administration credited his leadership with making the Army stronger.
But Driscoll’s tenure was marked by rising tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Officials say the two disagreed over Army transformation, readiness priorities, and personnel decisions. Hegseth has removed or pushed out several senior Pentagon leaders this year, including Navy Secretary John Phelan and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, and has blocked promotions for some Army officers — moves that reportedly contributed to Driscoll’s concerns.
A source familiar with the situation told reporters that Driscoll raised objections to how the administration was handling those changes, arguing they undercut ongoing efforts to improve Army readiness.
The Pentagon directed questions about Driscoll to the Army, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. With his resignation now accepted, attention will turn to who will replace him and how leadership changes at the Defense Department will affect Army priorities going forward.
