Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has become the latest high-ranking U.S. military official to leave the Pentagon amid reports of tensions with Secretary Pete Hegseth. No official reason has been offered for Driscoll’s departure following 18 months in the role but it comes after CNN and said he had been butting heads with Hegseth for several months. According to sources cited by The Atlantic, Driscoll recently “brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible.” His mission was seemingly unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, President Donald Trump was said to be “surprised and concerned” about the number of the cuts to the department and the seniority of those who have left, The Atlantic reports. The department now has fewer generals than any point in recent history, the outlet adds. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement addressing the latest exit: “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.
Army for further comment. Driscoll is an Iraq War veteran, tech investor and former adviser to Vice President JD Vance, whom he befriended while they were contemporaries at Yale Law School. When nominating Driscoll in 2024, Trump hailed him as “a disruptor and change agent.” He went on to make good on that reputation by championing the development of drone warfare technology – only for Hegseth to shut down a European unit focused on that field last month and order it to return to its “core” mission of airborne infantry.
The secretary’s tenure at the Department of Defense has been defined by upheaval, with Hegseth pursuing culture war vendettas against DEI appointments and “woke” values while insisting on loyalty and on the need to nurture a high-testosterone “warfighter” mentality, culminating in an unpopular war the administration was warned against starting and which threatens to dangerously diminish U.S. munitions stockpiles. Despite the secretary’s attempts to control the narrative, there has also been a steady stream of negative stories about “petty middle-school drama” carrying on at within a department said to be crippled by paranoia, officials claiming they were dismissed for questioning orders and Republican lawmakers losing faith. It also comes amid growing concerns about how long the war with Iran has gone on for, recently entering its seventh month with no end on sight.
A recent Pentagon assessment warned Hegseth that maintaining the current level of military operations against Tehran could leave the U.S. less able to respond to threats elsewhere and protect the homeland, according to a Washington Post report last week. Here’s a look at some of the other high-profile figures who have left their jobs at Hegseth’s instigation. The first casualty of Hegseth’s tenure was the 40-year Air Force veteran, who was replaced by Lieutenant General Dan “Razin’” Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February 2025.
Brown, who had made history as the Air Force’s first African American chief of staff, had been in the post for 16 months and had expected to continue his term until the fall of 2027. Trump said in a statement announcing Caine’s nomination that he had been “overlooked” by his predecessor Joe Biden, an apparent slight on Brown, who was nevertheless praised as “a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader.” Hegseth also fired Franchetti – the first woman to serve as chief of naval operations and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs – that same month without explanation. Biden had nominated her over the preference of his own defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, convinced by her vast experience in command and executive decision making.
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