Army Secretary Dan Driscoll steps down — with a warning

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Driscoll’s parting warning

Driscoll’s parting warning

Programming note: We’re Joshua Feldstein and Claire Leibowitz filling in for Cate today. Please send your tips, comments and story ideas to jfeldstein@thehill.com or cleibowitz@thehill.com.

Driscoll met with Trump before stepping down: 

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll filed his resignation to President Trump Monday night, but not before speaking his mind about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership. 

The Atlantic reports Driscoll issued a parting warning during a meeting with Trump at the White House last week.  

He reportedly addressed the number of generals and top officers who had been fired, pushed out or passed over for promotion and argued that these shake-ups were inhibiting military readiness.  

Trump was surprised the scale of Hegseth’s firings and blocked promotions, one person told The Atlantic.  

Jennifer Griffin, Fox’s chief national security correspondent, posted a statement on the social media platform X by a source familiar with Driscoll’s decision.  

“Driscoll brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the Generals who were responsible,” the source said.  

🔎 Read The Hill’s reporting here. 

Growing list: Some of the most high-profile departures in recent months include the Army’s commander in Europe and Africa, Gen. Christopher Donahue, Navy Secretary John Phelan and Gen. Randy George. 

Driscoll’s departure leaves the Army without a Senate-confirmed leader, as acting chief of staff Gen. Christopher LeNeve’s confirmation is stalled.  

Bipartisan backing: Both Republicans and Democrats have praised Driscoll on his way out.  

Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) took to X to say, “The Army is better equipped and prepared to tackle emerging threats because of his leadership that strengthened the force while putting our Soldiers first.” 

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a former Army Ranger, told reporters it was nice “having somebody who was smart, that knew the policy, that wanted to do the work, that had a background in these issues.” 

“It’s unfortunate that somebody like that can’t last in this administration,” he added.  

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement saying: “Secretary........

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