Driscoll was a close ally of Army chief of staff Randy George, who was forced out of his role by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier in the year.

Dan Driscoll, the Secretary of the Army, is expected to step down from his post by the end of the year, following months of tension with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, The Wall Street Journal first reported on Friday. The army secretary’s departure would leave the United States Army, the largest and oldest branch of the US military, without a Senate-confirmed civilian leader, even as the United States remains in an unresolved conflict with Iran.

The news of Driscoll’s pending departure isn’t entirely out of the blue. He and his family moved out of the official Army secretary’s residence at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall earlier this summer, the paper of record reported. However, neither Driscoll nor Hegseth has publicly commented on the report.

Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Overhaul Continues

Driscoll’s exit will be the latest in a series of shakeups at the Pentagon. In April, Hegseth pushed out Army Chief of Staff General Randy George without explanation, and President Donald Trump still has yet to nominate George’s replacement. Instead, General Christopher LaNeve took over responsibilities as the acting chief of staff, and a formal nomination may not come soon.

LaNeve could face significant hurdles, even as he was previously confirmed as vice chief. Republican lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee have raised strong objections, notably that he has held a four-star general rank for only six months. In contrast, most permanent chiefs of staff have served at least 18 months at that level.

Should Driscoll leave his post before a successor is confirmed, the US Army may not have a Senate-confirmed leader in either its top civilian or top military office.

Who Is Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll?

Driscoll, born in 1986 in North Carolina, is a US Army combat veteran and former Green Beret. He served in the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division from 2007 to 2011, including during Operation Iraqi Freedom, before he earned a law degree from Yale Law School. He later became a venture capitalist. A longtime personal friend of Vice President JD Vance, Driscoll was confirmed by the Senate on February 25, 2025, by a 66-28 vote; at 38 years old, he became the youngest Secretary of the Army in America’s history.

Prior to the announcement of Driscoll’s departure, he had been lauded for his forward-looking approach to Army modernization and contracting reform, and there was even speculation that he could replace Hegseth if the former Fox News weekend host were to leave his post as Pentagon chief.

However, tensions between Hegseth and Driscoll have reportedly been intense in recent months.

One issue may be that Driscoll was also noted for having a close working relationship with George, which included the pair launching the Army Transformation Initiative last year. That effort was focused on delivering critical warfighting capabilities to the soldier, to optimize the Army’s force structure, and to eliminate waste and obsolete programs. It called for a focus on drones and artificial intelligence (AI)—which could be an affront to Hegseth’s calls for a “warrior ethos” that goes back to old-school, “combat-proven” methods, even if they may not be well-suited to a 21st-century conflict.

Driscoll openly criticized George’s forced retirement, likely souring his relationship with Hegseth. Last week, it was announced that the US Army’s drone warfare battalion, a unit championed by Driscoll and George, would be reassigned to conventional duties.

The Latest Casualty of Hegseth’s Pentagon Overhaul

The departure of Driscoll will be the latest in a series of departures within the US military, and it is part of a broader makeover of the federal government. Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, he has sought to remake the government in his image—in particular by removing personnel associated with “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion) efforts under the Biden administration.

In February 2025, Trump launched an unprecedented leadership purge in the Pentagon, dismissing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General CQ Brown Jr., Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife—all in positions that are normally apolitical and serve across presidential administrations.

Hegseth and administration officials targeted these high-ranking officers as part of an effort to remove leaders associated with the Pentagon’s DEI initiatives. Yet, lawmakers and defense analysts have been vocally critical of the sweeping dismissals and raised concerns about an increasing politicization of nonpartisan military leadership as well as an abrupt disruption to top-tier defense command.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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