The secretary of the Army is preparing to step down by year’s end following “months of tension” with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The news of Dan Driscoll’s expected departure follows Hegseth’s April firing of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who was close with Driscoll. Hegseth, the Journal reported at the time, did not give George a reason for his termination. But insiders have suggested the move, which reportedly stirred resentment within the Pentagon, was in response to their refusal to remove two Black officers and two female officers from a list of military members chosen to be promoted to one-star generals.
Hegseth, according to multiple outlets, has been uneasy about Driscoll’s influence at the Pentagon for over a year. Current and former Trump administration officials told the New York Post that Hegseth, 46, had “paranoia” about being replaced by Driscoll.
“[Hegseth] is very concerned about being fired and he knows that Driscoll is one of the top contenders, or a natural contender, to succeed him,” a source close to the administration said then. “So what Pete has been doing is taking anyone he perceives to be close with Driscoll and going after them. And this is the latest and most spectacular [example] of that.”
Hegseth also ousted Gen. David Hodne and Maj. Gen. William Green earlier this year.
Driscoll, a former Army ranger who fought in the Iraq War, is a longtime friend of Vice President JD Vance, and just last month was praised by Donald Trump.
“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,” the president said.
One indication of Driscoll’s exit, according to the Journal, is that he and his family moved out of the house reserved for the Army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, this summer. Driscoll is still living on the base in an apartment, but his family relocated to North Carolina.
Driscoll was confirmed and sworn in last February. If he indeed leaves, then the Army would be without a Senate-confirmed leader. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, Hegseth’s former senior military aide, is the acting chief of staff.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast. A spokesperson for Driscoll declined to comment to the Journal.
