Move comes amid reported tensions between outgoing secretary and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, leaving Army without Senate-confirmed civilian leader.
President Donald Trump has appointed Adam Telle, the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, as acting secretary of the Army following the resignation of Dan Driscoll, the White House announced late on Thursday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Telle would take up the role “effective immediately.” “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 wrote. “He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Pentagon Shake-Up: Telle Replaces Driscoll:
Telle, who was confirmed by the Senate in August 2025 and sworn in the same month, previously oversaw the US Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works programme. That portfolio includes commercial navigation, flood and storm damage reduction, and related infrastructure and permitting responsibilities. Before joining the Pentagon, he spent years as a congressional staffer, including as chief of staff to Republican Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, and earlier served in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs during Trump’s first term, where he worked on Senate liaison efforts linked to initiatives such as the Abraham Accords and the creation of the US Space Force.
Driscoll, who had served as the Army’s top civilian official since his confirmation in February 2025, submitted his resignation earlier in the week. He left the post around 2 September after roughly 18 months in office. Multiple reports described months of friction between Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, including disagreements over the removal of senior military leaders and the direction of Army modernisation and readiness efforts.
Driscoll, a former Army soldier and Yale Law graduate who was sometimes described as close to Vice President JD Vance, did not publicly detail the reasons for his departure in the same terms as anonymous sources. In a statement, he credited Hegseth’s support for progress made during his tenure and called the role “the honor of a lifetime.” The White House separately praised Driscoll’s work advancing administration priorities on readiness, lethality, and related military operations.
Trump Names Acting Army Secretary:
The resignation adds to a series of high-level departures and personnel changes at the Pentagon under Hegseth. These have included the earlier ouster of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and other senior officers, as well as the previous departure of Navy Secretary John Phelan. The Army has been operating without a Senate-confirmed chief of staff for months, with Gen. Christopher LaNeve serving in an acting capacity.
Traditionally, the under secretary of the Army would step in as acting secretary. In this case, Trump bypassed that path and selected Telle. The appointment leaves both of the Army’s most senior civilian and uniformed leadership positions filled on an acting basis, with no permanent Senate-confirmed nominees yet announced for either role.
Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, welcomed the choice. “The president made an excellent choice in appointing him to serve as Acting Secretary of the Army,” Wicker said. “Adam has been a fantastic partner as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. I am confident he will succeed in leading America’s Army.”
Driscoll’s exit and the interim appointment occur against a backdrop of ongoing US military commitments, including operations linked to the conflict involving Iran, and continued debate in Washington over the pace and direction of Army transformation. Trump has not yet indicated when he will nominate a permanent successor.