The Hill

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is set to depart his role at the Pentagon in the coming days, leaving the Trump administration after being embroiled in a months-long turf war with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to two sources familiar with internal deliberations.

Driscoll spoke with President Trump about the “current state” of the Army and submitted his resignation, one source told The Hill on Monday.

“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,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to The Hill on Monday.

“The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War,” Kelly added.

Driscoll’s departure from the Defense Department would leave the Army without a Senate-confirmed leader. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who is close to Hegseth, has been serving as the Army’s acting chief of staff since the Defense secretary ousted the Army’s chief of staff Gen. Randy George in April.

Driscoll’s spokesperson declined to comment.

Dave Fitzgerald, the deputy under secretary of the Army, is expected to resign from his role this week, according to one source familiar with the matter.

Driscoll, a strong ally to Vice President Vance who developed a close working relationship with George, was open to leaving “around” Labor Day, but the White House wanted him to stay at least through the November midterms, The Hill previously reported.

Driscoll has pushed the Army to update equipment, learn from the Ukrainian military how to use commercial technology to modernize warfare capabilities and push the service branch to improve living conditions for service members

Hegseth and Driscoll have engaged in a months-long influence battle with tensions flaring last year when the president selected Driscoll to negotiate with Ukrainian officials in hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine war, The Hill previously reported.

Hegseth has fired more than two dozen senior military officers since taking the helm at the Pentagon, including those close to Driscoll.

The defense secretary ousted George in early April, a move that has unnerved some Republicans in Congress, along with ordering the firing of Col. David Butler, Driscoll’s adviser, in February. The Army’s vice chief of staff, Gen. James Mingus, retired in October.

In Driscoll’s place, Hegseth is considering Sean Parnell, one of his senior advisers who is also the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, The Hill first reported last week.

Driscoll’s resignation was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.

LaNeve, the Army’s acting chief of staff, will need unanimous support from Republican senators to advance out of the Senate Armed Services Committee, but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have had objections.

Updated at 7:13 p.m. EDT