Updated September 1, 2026 at 8:47 AM EDT
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has resigned after just 18 months on the job that included repeated clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Driscoll was an Army officer in Iraq and became the youngest-ever Army secretary last year at age 38.
He was heavily focused on new technologies and was sometimes called President Trump's "drone guy."
But Driscoll and Defense Secretary Hegseth were often at odds. Hegseth fired a number of top Army generals, and has been promoting officers seen as more aligned with the defense secretary.
Back in April, Hegseth dismissed the chief of the Army, Gen. Randy George, without giving a reason.
Driscoll was asked about this when he testified in April on Capitol Hill. He said he was on vacation with his family in North Carolina when he heard the news, and they all drove to Gen. George's home.
"We walked right in, and we all gave him a hug," Driscoll testified. "There is no person that has more respect for General George and his 42 years of service. He was an amazing, transformational leader."
When Hegseth took office last year, the Army had 10 four-star generals on active duty. Today, it has five.
Hegseth also blocked promotions of Black and women army officers who had the support of Driscoll.
These personnel differences were seen as the main reason, but not the only reason that they didn't see eye to eye.
Before Driscoll became Army secretary, he worked in venture capital and explored ways new technology could upgrade the Army's drone program.
However, the Pentagon recently announced the dismantling of an Army drone unit in Europe that had been studying Ukraine's drone successes against Russia.
Ongoing changes at the Pentagon
In the broad sense, Driscoll's resignation is seen as significant because its part of a constant churn at the Pentagon under Hegseth, which has continued as the Iran war is still playing out with no end in sight.
As Army secretary, Driscoll held the Army's top civilian position, a critical job with a focus on issues such as overseeing personnel, dealing with the army's budget and longer-term planning.
However, the position is not part of the military chain of command. Driscoll was not commanding Army troops in the Middle East, though the Army has significant forces throughout the region.
The White House said in a statement that Driscoll was "highly effective in advancing President Trump's agenda to Make America Strong Again," and noted that he took part peace negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Driscoll is very close with Vice President J.D. Vance. They are both military veterans who served in Iraq and met at Yale Law School, becoming good friends. Vance pushed for Driscoll to get the position as Army secretary.
Even before Driscoll resigned, there's been widespread media speculation that he would leave the job at some point to join a Vance campaign. Driscoll served as a political adviser to Vance during the 2024 campaign.
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