Daniel P Driscoll, the youngest ever US Army Secretary and once known as Trump's "drone guy," is now America's key negotiator between Kyiv and Moscow.
Driscoll, 38, presented a draft US-backed peace plan to President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Kyiv. The plan outlined stages towards a ceasefire and more extensive talks with Moscow. As part of the ongoing peace process, he is expected to meet Russian officials in Abu Dhabi next, according to BBC.
Who is Dan Driscoll?
Driscoll hails from Boone, North Carolina. He earned his law degree from Yale University, and interned at the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, and leading law firms, including Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson.
He served in the US Army from 2007 to 2011. This included a deployment to Iraq in 2009. During his military career, he earned the prestigious Ranger tab at US Army Ranger School and the Combat Action Badge.
In 2020, he made a foray into politics by running for the Republican nomination in North Carolina's 11th congressional district. He was unsuccessful.
In December 2024, Driscoll was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump, and on February 25, the US Senate confirmed Driscoll as Secretary of the Army by a 66–28 vote, making him the youngest-ever to hold the post.
Shortly after taking office, Driscoll assumed additional responsibility as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, succeeding Kash Patel.
In May, he announced the cancellation of the M10 Booker military vehicle project. He is called the "drone guy" because he is a strong advocate for drones and other emerging battlefield technologies in the military.
On the personal front, he is married to his high school girlfriend, Dr Cassie Driscoll, a plastic surgeon, and has two children, Daniel Jr and Lila.
