AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Dan Driscoll, the US Secretary of the Army, submitted his resignation to the White House on Tuesday. The resignation comes after months of tension and disagreement between him and Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, and following Driscoll's protest against the dismissal of a number of senior military commanders.
Driscoll, who is considered a figure close to JD Vance, the Vice President of the United States, is the latest senior Department of Defense official to step down or be forced to leave the Pentagon during Hegseth's tenure.
This development comes as America remains engaged in a war with Iran, with thousands of its military personnel deployed across various parts of the Middle East, making any instability or disagreement at the highest levels of Washington's defense structure even more sensitive.
Disagreement Over Military Structure and Readiness
An informed source told Reuters that Driscoll was seeking to modernize the US Army and had shared his concerns with the administration about the restructuring of military forces, the level of army readiness, and the obstacles Hegseth had placed in the way of this process.
According to this source, one of the most important points of disagreement between the two officials was the dismissal of senior generals and officials in the US military structure, an action Driscoll had protested.
Meanwhile, Anna Kelly, the White House spokeswoman, defended Driscoll's performance in a statement, saying he played an effective role in advancing Donald Trump's plans to "make America strong again" at the Department of the Army.
Possible Resignation of Another Senior Official at the Department of the Army
At the same time, an informed source announced that Dave Fitzgerald, the Under Secretary of the US Army who focused on innovation within the army, is also expected to submit his resignation.
The possible resignation of Fitzgerald could be another sign of escalating disagreements and changes in the senior layers of the US Department of Defense.
Driscoll; A Critic of the Defense Industry
Driscoll had previously taken sharp critical positions against the American defense industry. Last year, he criticized major defense companies, saying that the US defense industry sector, particularly the prime contractors, had deceived the American people, the Department of War, and the country's army.
An American official also told Reuters that Hegseth viewed Driscoll as a threat within the bureaucratic structure of the Department of Defense and had long sought to remove him; however, Driscoll's close connection with JD Vance, the Vice President, had made this action difficult for Hegseth.
The resignation of the US Secretary of the Army, at a time when the country is engaged in a regional war and facing serious challenges in managing its military forces, could become a fresh sign of escalating disagreements within the defense decision-making structure of the Trump administration.
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