U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation after roughly 18 months in the position.
CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. media partner, confirmed the departure, reporting it followed months of friction between Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
At 41, Driscoll was the youngest person ever to hold the post and was frequently described as President Donald Trump’s “drone guy” for his focus on emerging battlefield technology.
The White House praised Driscoll as “highly effective” in advancing the president’s “Make America Strong Again” agenda and credited him with “outstanding leadership” during military operations, according to a statement provided to CBS.
The BBC has reached out to the White House, the Pentagon, and the Army for comment.
Driscoll’s exit marks the latest in a series of high-profile military leadership changes. Navy Secretary John Phelan abruptly resigned in April, and other senior figures—including Army Chief of Staff Randy George, Army Gen. David Hodne, and Maj. Gen. William Green—have also departed.
Since taking office, Hegseth has dismissed more than a dozen senior military officers, among them the Chief of Naval Operations and the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff.
Details of the behind-the-scenes discord between Driscoll and Hegseth remain unclear, though CBS notes the Army secretary is a close friend of Gen. George, who was reportedly asked by Hegseth to step down.
As the top civilian leader of the U.S. Army, the secretary oversees active-duty troops, the National Guard, and reserve forces.
Driscoll previously served in the Army, commissioning as an officer in 2007 and leading a cavalry platoon during a deployment to Iraq in 2009.
During his tenure, he earned the “drone guy” moniker for championing new battlefield technologies. He also played a prominent role in diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, traveling abroad and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A close ally of Vice President JD Vance, whom he met at Yale Law School, Driscoll was a key figure in the administration’s deployment of the National Guard to U.S. cities. He also served as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
