One source said the decision was not surprising, given the long-running tension between Driscoll and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Another source said Driscoll raised concerns in his resignation about the administration’s approach to Army transformation and readiness. The source said Driscoll was particularly concerned that Hegseth had blocked some of these efforts by firing generals responsible for leading them.
An Army official said Driscoll spoke with President Trump about the current state of the Army before submitting his resignation.
Driscoll’s departure has been rumored for months and comes after a period of growing friction with Hegseth. The Army veteran is also a longtime friend of Vice President JD Vance.
His resignation comes six months into the war between the United States and Iran, which has shown no signs of ending.
It remains unclear when Driscoll will officially leave his position. Under normal circumstances, the Under Secretary of the Army would take over as acting secretary. The current Under Secretary is Mike Obadal, a retired Army colonel and former special operations aviator.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly praised Driscoll for his contribution to President Trump’s agenda.
“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,” Kelly said.
Earlier this year, Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and two other generals. George and Driscoll had worked closely together.
The decision to remove George raised questions among lawmakers from both political parties, many of whom expressed admiration for the general.
Speaking before Congress in April, Driscoll also praised George, describing him as an exceptional and transformational leader.
“No person has more respect for Gen. George and his 42 years of service,” Driscoll said at the time. “He was an amazing, transformational leader.”
Sources previously told CNN that since the beginning of Hegseth’s tenure, he had been distrustful of both civilian and military officials around him and had questioned their loyalty.
One of the most prominent sources of internal tension has reportedly been Hegseth’s relationship with Driscoll, partly because of Driscoll’s close friendship with Vice President JD Vance.
Driscoll and Vance were classmates at Yale Law School and have remained close friends. CNN reported that Hegseth viewed Driscoll’s close relationship with the White House as an attempt to bypass him.
Driscoll also developed his own relationship with President Trump. Last year, Trump selected him to help persuade Ukraine to return to the negotiating table for talks with Russia.
While Hegseth’s tenure has largely been associated with his strong focus on so-called culture war issues, Driscoll and Gen. George publicly focused more on modernizing Army forces and military equipment.
President Trump reportedly referred to Driscoll as “the drone guy” because of his extensive work involving drone technology.
Hegseth, who served in the Army National Guard for nearly 20 years, has taken a particular interest in the Army and its leadership.
During his tenure, he has fired or forced out several senior Army officials, including Gen. Randy George, former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James Mingus, Gen. David Hodne, Maj. Gen. William Green Jr. and Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims.
Most recently, Gen. Christopher Donahue, the former commander of US Army Europe and Africa, stepped down from his position after Hegseth had not nominated him for a new role.
Multiple sources said there had been tension between the offices of Hegseth and Donahue, although this did not necessarily mean the two men had a personal conflict.
Donahue officially retired from the military last week.
