Resignation Confirmed
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned after about 18 months in the post, the White House confirmed Monday. No official reason was given for his departure, but a US Army official said Driscoll had spoken with President Donald Trump about the state of the Army before submitting his resignation. The Wall Street Journal first reported the development.
Driscoll, a close ally of Vice President JD Vance, had been seen as a rising figure within the administration and, at one point, as a potential alternative to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The White House praised Driscoll's tenure, saying he had helped advance Trump's defense agenda, strengthen Army readiness and lethality, support military operations, and assist with US efforts to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, as reported by the Associated Press.
Reported Tensions with Hegseth
The resignation comes after months of reported friction between Driscoll and Hegseth. According to The Atlantic, a person familiar with Driscoll's resignation said he had recently "brought up concerns with the Administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth's blocking those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible."
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly did not address the tensions when approached by TIME, but instead emphasized that the United States Army is "more powerful than ever thanks to [Driscoll's] work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War."
A Series of Departures
Driscoll's exit is the latest in a series of high-profile departures within the Pentagon. In April, Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, the service's highest-ranking uniformed officer, along with two other senior generals. No detailed public explanation was given for the removals.
Driscoll openly praised George, referring to him as "an amazing, transformational leader" whom he loved and respected during an April House Appropriations Committee hearing. The Washington Post reported that Hegseth had sought to remove George several times and that Driscoll had previously blocked or delayed those efforts, arguing that George had done nothing wrong and should be judged on merit.
Two months later, Gen. Christopher Donahue, who headed US Army Europe and Africa, also left his post after an effort to extend his tenure failed. Donahue had served only about 18 months in the role and was regarded as one of the Army's senior combat leaders.
The churn has extended beyond the Army. Navy Secretary John Phelan was forced out in April after reported clashes with Hegseth and his deputy.
Scrutiny of Hegseth
Hegseth has come under scrutiny for the duration and mounting cost of the Iran war, which surpassed the six-month mark. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis expressed a lack of confidence in Hegseth, saying, "I don't have any confidence in him anymore. I think he's all over the place—he's accelerating the retirement or forcing out some of the most distinguished leaders in the DOD that we have."
In June, the Department of Defense designated its press office a classified area. Deputy Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez explained: "The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility. As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. There's nothing controversial about that."
Potential Successor: Sean Parnell
Prior to Driscoll's resignation, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had been suggested by some close to Hegseth as a potential replacement for the Senate-confirmed position. The Hill reported last week that Parnell's name was being floated, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter. Asked about the reports, a senior Administration official told TIME: "Sean Parnell is 100% focused on the job he was appointed to by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth."
Parnell is an Afghanistan veteran who was awarded two Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart during his 16-month deployment. He wrote a 2012 memoir titled "Outlaw Platoon" and was a senior advisor for the Concerned Veterans of America, playing a key role in the passage of the Mission Act in 2018.
Parnell backed Marco Rubio for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination and criticized Trump in 2015 over Trump's comments about John McCain. He later changed his view, praising Trump in 2019 and at the 2020 Republican National Convention. Parnell suspended his Senate campaign in November 2021 after losing a custody fight and being accused of abuse by his then-estranged wife.
Background
Driscoll was nominated by Trump in 2024, who described him as a "disruptor and change agent." The Senate confirmed him in February 2025.