“I am pleased to announce that Adam Telle, the current Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will become Acting Secretary of the Army, effective immediately. He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all.
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The Army Secretary Quits After Eighteen Months of Losing to Hegseth Over Who Gets to Be a General — and the Senate Armed Services Ranking Democrat Says the Defense Secretary Is "Cultivating a Culture Where Dissent Is Punished"
August 31, 2026
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to the White House on Monday, August 31, 2026, effective September 3, after eighteen months of escalating conflict with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over control of Army senior officer promotions. Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran, tech investor and close friend of Vice President JD Vance whom he met at Yale Law School, became the youngest Army secretary in history at 38 and was known inside the building as the president's "drone guy" for his focus on Army modernization. The break point was personnel. Hegseth has removed at least 45 officers from promotion lists selected by their own peers this year, more than half of them women or Black officers, and in late August pulled four more Army colonels off the brigadier general list over their ties to Gen. Randy George — the Army chief of staff Hegseth fired without explanation in April — and Gen. Chris Donahue, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa commander he ousted in June. Reporting indicates Driscoll refused to strike names from a promotion list when Hegseth asked, and Hegseth did it himself. In his resignation, Driscoll raised concerns about Army transformation and readiness and about Hegseth blocking those efforts by firing the generals responsible. The White House praised Driscoll's tenure without acknowledging the dispute. Hegseth is reportedly weighing Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell as a successor, a pick that would face a difficult Senate confirmation. Driscoll was unusually well regarded by lawmakers in both parties, and the reactions to his exit split along a familiar line: Republicans praised the departing secretary, Democrats used the occasion to indict the man he was fighting.
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“Huge congrats to Adam. Strong and whip smart.
“Congratulations to Adam Telle. The president made an excellent choice in appointing him to serve as Acting Secretary of the Army. Adam has been a fantastic partner as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. I am confident he will succeed in leading America's Army. Our country faces unprecedented threats from the Axis of the Aggressors, and the Army is crucial to maintaining deterrence. I look forward to working with Adam to ensure our soldiers have everything they need to execute their mission.
“If we had a @SecWar who maintained the same priorities and forward-thinking, he would be fighting to retain talented leaders like Dan. Instead, he is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks.
“We’ve had some very good generals that are no longer there that we respected.
“Secretary Hegseth is cultivating a culture where dissent is punished and competence is secondary to personal allegiance.
“He worked to transform the Army for the battlefield of the future, and he engaged with Congress candidly and consistently.
“The Army is better equipped and prepared to tackle emerging threats because of his leadership that strengthened the force while putting our Soldiers first.
“It's unfortunate that somebody like that can't last in this administration.
“He was a transformative leader who brought common sense and discipline to the Department of the Army.
“Pentagon right now is, in some cases, rudderless.
“I’m tired of all the churn. I want to see some stability over there.
“The Army secretary’s gone. The chief of staff’s gone. The person being nominated for the position is interim and we don’t know if he’s gonna be confirmed. Those are just not things that are ideal.
“It reflects a view of many of us that the secretary has gone overboard on the firings, the redlines, with no explanation given.
“I wish there had not been quite so much turnover with some of these senior officers.
“We need to get a good replacement there as quickly as possible.
“Hopefully, those are coming to an end. Especially now, with all this going on, we don’t need a lot of this diversion.
“You need a confirmed individual there in Army leadership positions, and right now you don’t have that.
“If we have an Army that a leader can’t step up to the next level, we have a failed Army anyway.
“Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump's agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and more.