Army secretary who clashed with Hegseth says he has no plans to ‘depart or resign’

Dan Driscoll said he has no plans to depart or resign as Army secretary, as there has been repeated tension between himself and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dating back to last year. 

“Serving under President Trump has been the honor of a lifetime and I remain laser focused on providing America with the strongest land fighting force the world has ever seen,” Driscoll said in a statement to The Hill. “I have no plans to depart or resign as the Secretary of the Army.” 

Driscoll’s remarks come as there were reportedly discussions among some White House officials about his future in the position, the role he has held since February of last year, and after Hegseth ousted the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, an experienced military leader who is close with Driscoll. 

Driscoll, a former Army officer who deployed to Iraq, is a close friend of Vice President Vance. 

When asked about Driscoll’s standing, the White House praised both political appointees. 

“President Trump has effectively restored a focus on readiness and lethality across our military with the help of leaders like Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Driscoll,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Hill in a statement on Wednesday. 

“The extraordinary talent of the United States Army and entire Department of War were on full display throughout Operation Epic Fury as all of our military objectives were met and Iran’s capabilities were diminished,” Kelly said, using the administration’s preferred name for the Pentagon. 

Driscoll’s comments were first reported by The Washington Post. 

Hegseth and Driscoll have clashed on several fronts, including the promotion of military officers recently. The Pentagon chief also ended the Army’s suspension of a crew who flew two military helicopters near Kid Rock’s estate in Tennessee and quashed the branch’s investigation into the service members. 

Trump, who has praised Driscoll in the past for his work on bolstering U.S. drone capability, also recently gave kudos Hegseth amid the U.S. war with Iran. 

“All I can say is that he was treated very unfairly, and now those same people that treated him unfairly, that fought against him, they called me up saying what a great choice he was,” the president said of the Pentagon chief on Monday. 

“I’m telling you, people that were not for him — senators, friends of mine, ‘sir, I don’t think you’re doing the right thing’ now to call me up — what a choice,” Trump told reporters at the White House. 

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