U.S. Army Secretary Resigns Amid Iran War... Army Chief of Staff Also Vacant

[Financial News] The Secretary of the Army, who oversees the U.S. Army's administration and budget during the war with Iran, has resigned after a dispute with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. As a result, both the Army secretary and the Army chief of staff posts are now vacant.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 31st of last month, local time, that U.S. Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll had submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump and would leave office within days.
The U.S. Army is led by two pillars: a civilian Secretary of the Army, who manages administration and budget matters, and a military chief of staff, who handles operational duties. If Driscoll steps down, Under Secretary of the Army Michael Overdahl is expected to serve as acting secretary. For the chief of staff post, Christopher LaNeve, the Army vice chief of staff, has been serving in an acting capacity since former Chief of Staff Randy George was dismissed by Hegseth in April.
It is highly unusual for both top Army leadership posts to be filled on an acting basis. George's term as chief of staff was supposed to run until 2027, but he had a poor relationship with Hegseth because he was close to Driscoll. In March, George suspended the officers involved after Army helicopter pilots were confirmed to have flown over the home of singer Kid Rock, a Trump supporter, and saluted. He cited the military's political neutrality. Hegseth then reversed George's decision, calling the people involved "patriots," and ultimately fired George.

The conflict between Driscoll and Hegseth had already been going on for months. Hegseth, a former Army major, has signaled sweeping restructuring of the military brass since taking office last year. He has pushed a plan to cut the overall number of generals and admirals by 10 percent and reduce four-star general positions by 20 percent.
Driscoll, who retired as an Army lieutenant and had military experience, even attended the retirement ceremony this month for General Chris Donahue after Donahue was forced out under Hegseth's plan.
The WSJ said Driscoll's departure could disrupt the Army reform efforts he had been driving. Driscoll is also a Yale Law School classmate of U.S. Vice President JD Vance. He had previously worked with George to introduce new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones into the Army, and recently announced a project with private company FedEx Corporation to improve the Army's logistics system in the United States. Dave Fitzgerald, the Assistant Secretary of the Army who served with Driscoll, is also expected to step down later this week.
Anna Kelly, White House press secretary, said of reports on Driscoll's resignation, "Driscoll has played a highly effective role in advancing the president's 'Make America Great Again' agenda at the Department of the Army."

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