President Donald Trump announced the appointment of Adam Telle as the acting Army secretary on Thursday, following the resignation of Dan Driscoll. Telle, who previously served as the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, steps into the role during a period where the U.S. military is actively engaged in conflict with Iran, maintaining substantial Army forces in the Middle East, and experiencing shortages of critical defense systems like Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors.
Driscoll’s departure comes amidst widespread reports of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. His resignation marks another high-level military exit under Hegseth's tenure. Allies of Driscoll within the Army, including Gen. Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, and Gen. Chris Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, were also reportedly ousted or submitted retirement papers earlier this year. Driscoll, an Army veteran and ally of Vice President JD Vance, had been working on a significant "Army Transformation Initiative" focused on integrating drones and new technologies.
Telle brings extensive experience from both Capitol Hill and the White House. He has been at the Army Office of Civil Works since August 2025 and previously spent over 20 years working for Republican senators, including serving as chief of staff for Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee from 2021 to 2025. During Trump's first term, Telle was a special assistant to the president for legislative affairs, acting as the president's chief liaison to the Senate. President Trump praised Telle as a "Great Patriot," a sentiment echoed by Defense Secretary Hegseth on social media.
