Donald Trump has appointed Adam Telle as acting Secretary of the US Army, days after Dan Driscoll resigned amid reported friction with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Mr Telle, currently the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, will take charge of America’s largest military service while it remains heavily committed to operations in the Middle East.
The appointment was announced by Mr Trump on Thursday, September 3. In a post on Truth Social, the president described Mr Telle as “a Great Patriot, who is respected by all”.
Mr Hegseth offered his own endorsement on X, writing: “Huge congrats to Adam. Strong and whip smart. He is indeed a great Patriot — and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy.”
Mr Telle has spent more than two decades working for Republican senators and served in the White House during Mr Trump’s first term as the president’s chief liaison to the Senate.
His appointment comes after Mr Driscoll submitted his resignation earlier this week. The former Army secretary, an Army veteran and ally of Vice-President JD Vance, said publicly that serving under Mr Trump and Mr Hegseth had been “the honour of a lifetime”, but gave no detailed explanation for his departure.
Behind the scenes, however, officials have described months of disagreement between Mr Driscoll and Mr Hegseth over the direction of the Army and the removal of senior commanders.
Army transformation plans at centre of dispute
Mr Driscoll and Army Chief of Staff General Randy George launched the Army Transformation Initiative in May 2025, with plans to make the service leaner and more technologically advanced.
The programme called for greater use of drones and other autonomous systems, changes to the Army’s force structure and the cancellation of equipment and programmes regarded as obsolete. The Army’s own plans also identified artificial intelligence, long-range missiles and counter-drone systems as key priorities.
Mr Driscoll is understood to have raised concerns that the removal of generals involved in carrying out the reforms risked undermining the initiative. General George, who was described as a close friend of Mr Driscoll, was asked by Mr Hegseth to step down in April.
General Chris Donahue, who commanded US Army forces in Europe and Africa, submitted retirement papers less than three months later. Both officers had supported a drone battalion created to study lessons from the battlefield in Ukraine, but the Army subsequently began preparing to phase out the unit.
The departures have prompted criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said Mr Hegseth was “creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks”.
Mr Telle now inherits responsibility for the Army as the United States remains engaged in conflict with Iran and maintains substantial forces across the Middle East.
The fighting has also intensified pressure on stocks of key weapons, including Patriot and THAAD missile-interceptor systems operated by the Army.
