Dan Driscoll is expected to step down as United States Secretary of the Army before the end of the year, after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The reported the timeline on Friday and said he could depart even earlier.
That expected exit would land while President Donald Trump has not put forward a nominee to permanently replace Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George. Christopher LaNeve is handling the chief of staff’s duties in an acting capacity, so the Army’s senior leadership is already in motion before Driscoll leaves.
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence designated for the Army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer. That move came after Trump said at a defense conference in Pennsylvania last month that Driscoll had a “beautiful smile but he's actually a killer.”
Those details fit into a broader reshuffle around the Army’s top posts. Hegseth abruptly ousted Randy George in April, and the vacancy at the permanent chief of staff job has left LaNeve serving in the role without a long-term replacement in place.
April Report
An April report from the New York Post said Hegseth was increasingly consumed by paranoia over the possibility he could be pushed out and replaced by Driscoll. The report also said that anxiety about Driscoll’s standing inside Trump’s orbit helped drive George’s firing, along with the ousters of David Hodne and William Green.
The same report quoted a source saying Hegseth had been told by the White House he could not fire Driscoll, at least for the moment. It also quoted the source as saying, “So what Pete has been doing is taking anyone he perceives to be close with Driscoll and going after them.”
Friday’s Journal Report
Representatives for Driscoll and the Pentagon declined to comment to the newspaper. For now, the practical question is timing: the Journal said he is expected to leave by year’s end, but it left open whether he departs on that schedule or sooner.
