01.09.2026 07:00
At a critical time when the US war with Iran is ongoing and thousands of American troops are deployed in the Middle East, a significant resignation has occurred in Washington. US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to the White House following months of tension with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Driscoll reportedly had disagreements with Hegseth, particularly regarding military transformation and war readiness capacity.
In the US administration, a high-level departure occurred during the critical period of the ongoing war with Iran. US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll decided to leave his post after months of disagreements with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
According to information reported by Reuters, Driscoll's resignation coincided with a period when thousands of US Army soldiers were deployed in the Middle East.
Initial reports noted that it was unclear whether the White House had accepted the resignation, but later a US official announced that President Donald Trump had accepted Driscoll's resignation.
HE HAD BEEN AT ODDS WITH HEGSETH FOR MONTHS Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had been experiencing disagreements for some time over the transformation of the US Army and its war readiness capacity.
According to a source close to the matter who spoke to Reuters, Driscoll expressed his concerns to the administration regarding the Army's transformation and readiness levels. It was reported that Driscoll believed the dismissal by Hegseth of the generals responsible for the transformation efforts had disrupted the process.
The long-standing tension between the two figures was also confirmed by various American media outlets.
US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll IT WAS STATED THAT HEGSETH WANTED TO REMOVE DRISCOLL FROM HIS POSITION A US official who spoke to Reuters said that Hegseth had long viewed Driscoll as a threat to himself within the Pentagon bureaucracy and wanted to remove him from his post.
However, it was noted that Driscoll's close relationship with US Vice President JD Vance posed an obstacle to this. The closeness between Driscoll and Vance has also been reported by other American sources.
THE DISMISSAL OF GENERAL GEORGE WAS THE LAST STRAW It was stated that Driscoll's discomfort with Hegseth increased further after the dismissal of US Army Chief of Staff General Randy George in April.
George's dismissal occurred while US forces were continuing war operations in the Middle East. After George, who was seen as one of Driscoll's allies, no permanent name has yet been appointed to the Army's highest uniformed position.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth NOTEWORTHY FAREWELL FROM THE WHITE HOUSE The White House, on the other hand, made a laudatory statement regarding Driscoll's tenure.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated that Driscoll led during historic military operations, contributed to refocusing the Army on readiness and striking power capacity, and undertook duties in Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
The statement included the words, "The US Army is stronger than ever thanks to the work carried out together with the Commander-in-Chief and the Secretary of Defense."
CONSECUTIVE DEPARTURES AT THE PENTAGON Driscoll's departure became the latest in a series of high-level changes in US military leadership during the Hegseth era. Along with Army Chief of Staff Randy George, numerous senior generals and admirals left or were removed from their positions.
Driscoll's resignation is considered a critical development for military leadership in Washington, especially as it occurs while the US war with Iran continues and thousands of American soldiers are serving in the Middle East.