US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll quits after 18 months

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to the White House following months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a source familiar with the matter has told Reuters.

Driscoll, who is considered close to US Vice President JD Vance, becomes the latest senior official who has either been fired or pushed out in Hegseth's Pentagon.

In April, Hegseth fired US Army Chief of Staff Randy George, a major staffing change that came as the US military was fighting a major war in the Middle East.

The Army declined to comment on the news, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

"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 spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.

Driscoll, who was confirmed for the top Army position in February 2025, pushed the army to be more nimble in acquiring cheaper weapons and chastised large weapons makers.

"(The) defense industrial base broadly, and the primes in particular, conned the American people and the Pentagon and the Army," Driscoll said last year in a reference to large defence companies.