Army Secretary Driscoll Resigns After 1 Year as Hegseth Purges Leaders Over Readiness Concerns
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 2
Army Secretary Driscoll Resigns After 1 Year as Hegseth Purges Leaders Over Readiness Concerns
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 2
Summary
Daniel Driscoll left as Army secretary on Wednesday after trying to warn President Donald Trump that Pete Hegseth’s leadership shake-up was hurting war readiness and Army modernization.
Those clashes centered on Hegseth’s firing of generals, blocked promotions and pressure for ideological loyalty, even as Driscoll had been helping steer the Army toward drone- and missile-heavy future warfare.
1.3 million active-duty personnel and a roughly $1 trillion military budget now face what analysts describe as a hollowing out of senior leadership, with service chiefs, intelligence heads and top civilians pushed out.
Black and female leaders have been disproportionately removed or replaced, critics say, raising retention concerns in the ranks and reinforcing accusations that dissent and competence are being subordinated to Trump-aligned priorities.
The turnover comes as the Iran war underscores the need for stable long-term force planning, making repeated leadership changes a strategic risk beyond the Pentagon’s internal politics.