Army secretary resigns after clashes with Hegseth as Democrats warn of ‘hollowed out’ leadership
The sudden departure of Daniel Driscoll comes after Pentagon chief removed senior officers and blocked promotions, prompting warnings of a leadership crisis A senior Senate Democrat accused Pentagon secretary Pete Hegseth of having “hollowed out” the Army’s senior ranks after its top civilian leader resigned after months of internal clashes with Hegseth. No official reason was given for army…
Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth has been accused of "hollowing out" the Army's senior ranks by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll's sudden resignation following months of internal conflict with him. No official reason was provided for Driscoll's departure after 18 months in the role.
Senator Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed alarm at the situation, stating that Trump must acknowledge the harm Hegseth is causing the Department of Defense. He cited Hegseth's firing and blocking of promotions for dozens of senior officers, including Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and half of all four-star generals.
Driscoll had previously praised George as a "transformational leader" and had sought help from friend JD Vance as tensions with Hegseth grew. Since the firing of George and others, Driscoll has faced criticism for moving to scale back a drone unit under his and George's support.
The public rupture began in April when Hegseth removed the Army's Chief of Staff, Gen Randy George, along with two other senior officers. Driscoll had expressed concerns about the army's transformation and readiness, as well as Hegseth's efforts to block these by removing key generals, to White House President Trump.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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