Top US Army Official To Step Down After Months Of Tension With Hegseth: Report

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to leave his post by the end of the year amid tensions with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

His departure would create another leadership vacuum at the top of the US Army, which has already been without a Senate-confirmed chief since Hegseth removed the army's chief of staff General Randy George in April.

Hegseth dismissed George without publicly explaining the decision and has yet to nominate a permanent replacement.

General Christopher LaNeve, the Army's vice chief of staff and a former senior military aide to Hegseth, is currently serving as acting Army chief of staff.

The army secretary and his family moved out of the official family residence at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, according to the report. His family relocated to North Carolina, while Driscoll moved into a smaller apartment on the military installation.

Relationship With Hegseth Had Been Strained

Driscoll, a former Army Ranger and long-time friend of Vice President JD Vance, attracted Hegseth's displeasure early in the Trump administration.

The tension followed an attempt by Driscoll to arrange a visit for Vance and US President Donald Trump to meet soldiers and discuss plans to reform the Army.

Despite the friction, Driscoll built a strong working relationship with George during his roughly 18 months as Army secretary.

The pair pushed the service to embrace emerging technologies, arguing that commercial innovations could play a major role in the future of warfare.

Driscoll also travelled to Ukraine with George and General Chris Donahue, then the army's top general in Europe. During the trip, he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about peace negotiations.

Driscoll urged the army to take lessons from Ukraine, particularly in how its forces use commercially available technology on the battlefield.

His tenure also saw private companies commit more than $25 billion toward projects, including data centres, critical mineral refineries and dining facilities on army bases across the US.

But his partnership with George was disrupted when Hegseth abruptly removed the Army chief in April.

Even Republicans in Congress criticised the move and supported George.

Asked about the firing during a congressional hearing, Driscoll did not criticise Hegseth directly but made clear where he stood on George.

"I, too, love Gen. George," Driscoll told lawmakers, describing him as "an amazing, transformational leader."

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his position, Driscoll received public praise from Trump at a defence conference in Pennsylvania last month.

Trump highlighted Driscoll's appearance while also portraying him as someone far tougher than he might seem.

"With that beautiful smile, but he's actually a killer. Look at that beautiful, nice face. Everything's so happy. He's a killer. Would you believe it? Those are the best guys, actually," Trump said.