--- title: "U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Resigns Amid Conflict with Hegseth" description: "U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Trump against the backdrop of a months-long conflict with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. Following his departure, the U.S. Army will be left without a Senate-confirmed leader." date: 2026-08-31T22:56:02.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/driscoll-resigns-us-army-secretary-hegseth-conflict tags: [us-army, dan-driscoll, pete-hegseth, pentagon, us-politics] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Resigns Amid Conflict with Hegseth ![US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigns amid conflict with Hegseth](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/31/driskoll-podal-v-otstavku-ministr-suhoputnih-voysk-ssha/driskoll-podal-v-otstavku-ministr-suhoputnih-voysk-ssha-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to President Trump after several months of conflict with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. - Following his departure, the U.S. Army will be left without Senate-confirmed civilian or military leadership; the acting Chief of Staff is General Christopher LaNeve. - The resignation fits into Hegseth's personnel purges: the dismissal of General Randy George, the demotion of General Chris Donahue, and the plan to cut the number of generals by 10%. - The White House assessed Driscoll's work positively, although the source of the resignation points to a conflict with Hegseth; the Army also wound down the assault drone battalion created based on the Ukrainian experience. U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted a resignation letter to President Donald Trump, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing The Wall Street Journal. According to the outlet, the decision was the culmination of several months of growing tension between Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose positions diverged on the direction of the army's development and personnel decisions. Driscoll is expected to leave the Pentagon within days. ### Reasons for the Resignation and Timing According to The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll had earlier planned to leave his post by the end of the year precisely because of the conflict with Hegseth, but the resignation came sooner. Driscoll — a former Army officer and law school classmate of Vice President JD Vance — had built close working relations with General Randy George, whom Hegseth removed from the position of Chief of Staff of the Army in April. Together they had promoted the adoption of new technologies and increased battlefield adaptability of the troops, and encouraged private companies to invest in building data centers, critical minerals processing facilities, and college-style dining halls on military bases, where companies have already pledged billions of dollars in investment. Recently, they announced a partnership with FedEx Dataworks to modernize the internal logistics network of the forces. ### Vacancy at the Top of Command Following Driscoll's departure, the U.S. Army will be left without Senate-confirmed civilian or military top-level leadership. Acting Chief of Staff has for some time been General Christopher LaNeve — since Hegseth dismissed his predecessor, General Randy George. Some Republicans in Congress have opposed LaNeve's candidacy for the position, which means a risk of rejection in the Senate in the event of a nomination. Concerns were further heightened by LaNeve's recent decision to gradually wind down the work of a promising drone assault battalion. ### Context of Personnel Purges at the Pentagon Driscoll's resignation fits into a broader cycle of personnel reshuffles. Last week he attended the retirement ceremony of General Chris Donahue at Fort Bragg — Donahue had commanded U.S. forces in Europe until Hegseth demoted him, effectively ending the military career of the general who had previously commanded the "Delta" unit in combat against the Islamic State. Donahue's sudden departure was presented as part of Hegseth's initiative to reduce the number of generals and admirals by 10% overall and four-star general positions by 20%. Lawmakers expressed concern over the dismissal of such a respected officer. According to an informed source, Deputy Under Secretary of the Army Dave Fitzgerald, who served alongside Driscoll, also plans to leave his post this week. ### Ukrainian Experience and Drone Battalions RBC-Ukraine previously wrote about Driscoll's role in integrating the Ukrainian experience into the U.S. Army. In April, he stated that the U.S. was adopting the Ukrainian approach to waging war, particularly in the area of innovation. However, by August it became known that the U.S. Army was dissolving a special drone assault battalion created precisely based on this experience — a decision that drew criticism from military experts. ### Contradictory Data The parties' accounts of the reasons for and assessment of Driscoll's work diverge. On the one hand, The Wall Street Journal and the fact of the resignation itself point to a months-long conflict with Hegseth as the key reason for his departure. On the other hand, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated that Driscoll "extremely effectively" advanced Trump's agenda of "restoring American strength," provided leadership during "historic military operations," renewed the focus on combat readiness, and that the Army was "stronger than ever" thanks to his work. Thus, the White House's official rhetoric emphasizes loyalty and effectiveness, while the source of the resignation points to an internal conflict. In addition, there is a discrepancy in the timing: according to WSJ, Driscoll had planned to leave by the end of the year, but the resignation was submitted earlier. Finally, a paradox in drone policy is evident: in April, Driscoll publicly stated that the U.S. was adopting the Ukrainian innovative experience, while in August the Army wound down the assault drone battalion created on its basis. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [U.S. Army Secretary Resigns Over Conflict with Hegseth - WSJ](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ministr-suhoputnih-viysk-ssha-pishov-vidstavku-1788215575.html) - Основной источник: отставка Дрисколла, конфликт с Гегсетом, и.о. ЛаНев, увольнение Джорджа и Донахью, оценки Белого дома, дроновый батальон. - [U.S. Army Secretary Driscoll resigns after Pentagon leadership rift](https://seekingalpha.com/news/4638522-u-s-army-secretary-driscoll-resigns-after-pentagon-leadership-rift) - Подтверждает факт отставки на фоне раскола в руководстве Пентагона. - [US Army secretary Dan Driscoll to resign after clashes with Pete Hegseth](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-army-secretary-dan-driscoll-to-resign-after-clashes-with-pete-hegseth) - Подтверждает отставку после столкновений с Питом Гегсетом. - [Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submits resignation to Trump](https://www.kotaradio.com/2026/08/31/army-secretary-dan-driscoll-submits-resignation-to-trump/) - Подтверждает направление прошения об отставке президенту Трампу (дата 31.08.2026). ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Why did Dan Driscoll resign? **A:** According to The Wall Street Journal, the cause was several months of growing tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the direction of the forces' development and the dismissal of several officials. Driscoll had earlier planned to leave by the end of the year, but the resignation was submitted sooner. ### Q: Who will lead the U.S. Army after Driscoll's departure? **A:** The Army will be left without Senate-confirmed civilian or military top-level leadership. The acting Chief of Staff is General Christopher LaNeve, whom Hegseth appointed after dismissing General Randy George. ### Q: How did the White House assess Driscoll's work? **A:** White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated that he "extremely effectively" advanced Trump's agenda, and that the Army was "stronger than ever." This contradicts the source's wording about a conflict with Hegseth. ### Q: What is known about the drone battalion? **A:** In April, Driscoll stated that the U.S. was adopting the Ukrainian innovative experience, but in August the U.S. Army wound down the special assault drone battalion created based on this experience, which drew criticism from military experts.