Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down after 18 months on the job, the White House said Monday, in the latest departure of a top military leader during the Trump administration.
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Army Secretary resigns three times in one week, leaving Pentagon without confirmed leadership
Born in a tradition of confirmed appointments and orderly succession, the post of Army Secretary has endured over a century of wars, peacetime reorganizations, and the occasional penny-ante shakeup. This week, Secretary Dan Driscoll decided to vacate the office not once, but four times, as the Pentagon grappled with the practicalities of two ongoing wars and the absence of a confirmed replacement. Survived by the chain of command, which currently includes a patchwork of acting officials, the office is preceded in death by the norm of stable leadership. The resignation notices, each distinct in their phrasing and source, reflect a military institution caught between political tension and operational necessity. The Army, meanwhile, continues its duties, running drills with the same doggedness it has shown since the era of whippersnappers and bunk. The paperwork cycles, the wars roll on, and the chain of command is left looking for its next link. In lieu of flowers, the Pentagon asks that someone, somewhere, please submit a confirmation form.
“Driscoll hands in his papers four times, Pentagon still can't find the receipt. The brass keeps cycling through leaders while the wars keep running. That's how you get a policy with nobody home.”
“It’s important to note that Secretary Driscoll’s departure is just part of the normal transition process. I mean, he resigned, yes, but that’s not the same as lacking leadership. Did I say 'without leadership'? That’s not what I meant. It’s a robust system. Robust. Unless you count the wars.”
The receipts
Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump amid growing tension between him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, sources told ABC News.
“highly effective”
The resignation of Daniel P. Driscoll, the secretary of the Army, had been expected but comes at a tumultuous time for the service.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.