US Army’s top civilian leader resigns as it grapples with two wars

September 1, 2026 — 1:46pm

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New York: US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, the service’s top civilian leader, who has clashed repeatedly with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the removal of key combat-tested army leaders, has handed in his resignation to President Donald Trump, administration officials say.

Driscoll’s resignation on Monday was expected, but it comes at a tumultuous time, as the military’s largest service faces its busiest period since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Army air defence soldiers are playing the leading role in defending American troops in the Middle East from increasingly sophisticated Iranian missile attacks.

The army’s command in Europe is also providing critical intelligence and other support to Ukraine as it fights to hold off a larger Russian force.

In the meantime, Hegseth has initiated a series of firings and feuds that have left the army essentially rudderless as it struggles to deal with the threat posed by cheap, deadly drones and missiles that have pounded US bases in the Middle East.

Pete Hegseth is hollowing out the US Army at the worst possible time

Driscoll met Trump in person to........

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