Dan Driscoll, Trump’s ‘Drone Guy’, Steps Down from Top Army Post

Dan Driscoll, the US Army secretary, has submitted his resignation after approximately 18 months in the post, becoming the latest senior military figure to depart amid reported friction with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. His departure, confirmed by CBS News, follows months of conflict between the two men, though the specific details of their behind-the-scenes disagreements remain unclear.

Mr Driscoll, 41, was the youngest-ever Army secretary and has often been referred to as President Donald Trump’s “drone guy” due to his enthusiastic embrace of emerging battlefield technologies. The White House, in a statement given to CBS, praised his tenure, saying he had been “highly effective” in advancing the president’s agenda to “Make America Strong Again” and had provided “outstanding leadership” during military operations. The BBC has contacted the White House, the Pentagon, and the Army for comment.

Mr Driscoll’s resignation is the latest in a string of high-profile military departures. Navy Secretary John Phelan abruptly quit in April, and other notable exits include Army Chief of Staff Randy George, Army Gen David Hodne, and Maj Gen William Green. Since taking over the Pentagon, Mr Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers, including the chief of naval operations and the Air Force's vice-chief of staff. CBS noted that Mr Driscoll is a good friend of General George, who was reportedly asked by Mr Hegseth to resign, suggesting a broader purge of senior leadership.

The Army secretary is the top civilian leader of the US Army, directing active-duty troops along with the National Guard and reserve soldiers. Mr Driscoll, who previously served as an Army officer in 2007 and led a cavalry platoon in Iraq in 2009, took on a leading role last year in talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, undertaking foreign trips and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He is also a close ally and friend of Vice-President JD Vance, whom he met at Yale Law School. During his tenure, he was a key figure in President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to US cities and also took over the role of acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.