US President Donald Trump has appointed Adam Telle as acting Secretary of the US Army, shortly after Dan Driscoll stepped down from the top civilian post amid reported tensions with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Trump announced the appointment on Friday in a post on Truth Social, saying Telle would take charge with immediate effect.
“I am pleased to announce that Adam Telle, the current Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will become Acting Secretary of the Army, effective immediately," Trump said. “He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all."
Telle was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works in August 2025 after being confirmed by the US Senate. He spent much of his career working as a congressional aide.
Driscoll’s resignation followed reports of disagreements with Hegseth, marking the latest departure of a senior military official under the Trump administration.
The White House had earlier praised Driscoll’s work. Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said he had been “highly effective" in advancing Trump’s agenda at the Army and credited him with strengthening readiness and lethality, as well as supporting negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Driscoll, a former Army officer who served in Iraq, had been a law school classmate of Vice President JD Vance and was considered to have benefited from their close ties within the administration. However, reports said his relationship with Hegseth had deteriorated.
Senator Jack Reed, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticised the development and blamed Hegseth for the disruption at the Pentagon.
“I do not welcome Secretary Driscoll’s resignation," Reed said, arguing that Hegseth was causing “lasting harm" to the Department of Defense.
Driscoll previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020 and later worked as an adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
His departure also comes as the US military remains heavily engaged in the conflict with Iran. The Army is already facing a leadership gap after Hegseth dismissed Army Chief of Staff General Randy George in April, with no permanent successor yet nominated.
Source: ANI