Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has insisted he has no plans to resign, despite reports of clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and speculation that he could be Hegseth's successor. In a statement to The Washington Post, Driscoll said: 'Serving under President Trump has been the honor of a lifetime and I remain laser focused on providing America with the strongest land fighting force the world has ever seen. I have no plans to depart or resign as the secretary of the Army.'
Tensions between Driscoll and Hegseth reportedly stem from Hegseth's decision to force out Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, Gen. David Hodne and Maj. Gen. William Green Jr. last week. The New York Post reported that Hegseth's move was motivated by 'paranoia' that Driscoll could replace him. Driscoll, a veteran and close friend of Vice President JD Vance, had clashed with Hegseth over previous attempts to remove George, whom he admired as a reformer.
The White House has backed Driscoll. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump had 'effectively restored a focus on readiness and lethality across our military with the help of leaders like Secretary Driscoll.' Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, however, maintained that Hegseth 'maintains excellent working relationships' with service secretaries, though other officials disputed this, noting Hegseth has been wary of Driscoll since the Signalgate scandal.
Should Driscoll ultimately leave his post or be nominated to succeed Hegseth, Parnell has been tipped as a potential successor. A senior department official said: 'It wouldn't be out of line to speculate that Sean would be considered as a successor as he is one of the highest profile Army veterans serving at the top of department right now.'
