Adam Telle Appointed as Acting Army Secretary

President Trump has appointed Adam Telle, a civilian leader in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the acting Army secretary. This follows the resignation of Dan Driscoll earlier this week. Telle currently serves as the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. He brings more than 20 years of experience working for Republican senators and served as the president’s chief liaison to the Senate during Mr. Trump’s first term, according to an Army biography.

Mr. Trump praised Telle as a “Great Patriot, respected by all,” in a Truth Social post. Pete Hegseth also congratulated Telle on platform X, saying, “Strong and whip smart,” emphasizing Telle’s immediate value to the U.S. Army.

Dan Driscoll resigned as the Army’s top civilian leader, after months of reported friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Driscoll, an Army veteran and ally of Vice President JD Vance, had been working on plans to transform the Army’s operations. He expressed concerns that Hegseth was removing generals responsible for implementing those plans, as reported by a source to CBS News.

Hegseth requested Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, a close friend of Driscoll, to step down in April. This was followed by the retirement of Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, less than three months later. George and Driscoll had introduced the “Army Transformation Initiative” last year. This initiative aimed at integrating more drones and other emerging technologies into military units, restructuring forces, and eliminating outdated equipment.

George and Donahue also supported a new Army drone battalion, formed to learn from the intense drone warfare in Ukraine. However, the Army started plans to phase out the unit last month amid tension with officers supporting it and acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve.

Telle will now lead the nation’s largest fighting force during ongoing conflict with Iran and significant military deployments in the Middle East. The war has caused shortages in essential weapons, such as the Patriot and THAAD defense missile systems operated by the Army.

Bipartisan voices lamented Driscoll’s resignation, some blaming Hegseth directly. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, remarked on social media about Hegseth “creating a leadership void” at the military’s top levels.