President Donald Trump announced Thursday the appointment of Adam Telle as acting secretary of the Army, succeeding Dan Driscoll in the role. Telle currently serves as assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, a position he has held since August 2025. According to his Army biography, Telle brings extensive Capitol Hill experience, having spent more than two decades working for Republican senators and serving in the White House during Trump’s first term as the president’s chief liaison to the Senate.
Driscoll’s departure this week came without a stated explanation, though reports have indicated tensions between the Army secretary and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to press accounts, some military leaders aligned with Driscoll have been removed from their positions by Trump’s Pentagon leadership. Driscoll is a veteran who served in Iraq and maintains relationships with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including Vice President JD Vance. In his only public statement on the matter, Driscoll described his service as “the honor of a lifetime” without addressing specific reasons for his resignation.
Telle’s background includes 18 months in the White House during Trump’s initial term and a decade working for late Republican Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi. Most recently, he served as chief of staff for Republican Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee from 2021 to 2025. In his civil works role, Telle oversaw matters related to commercial navigation, flood damage reduction, and Clean Water Act permitting, working on projects including a Wisconsin pipeline reroute and a major North Dakota flood control initiative.
Trump praised Telle in a Truth Social post, calling him “a Great Patriot, who is respected by all.” Defense Secretary Hegseth made similar comments on social media, describing Telle as “strong and whip smart.” Telle assumes his duties at a time when the U.S. military faces operational demands in the Middle East and shortages in critical weapons systems. Driscoll’s departure drew bipartisan expressions of regret, with some lawmakers, including retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis, pointing to Hegseth’s leadership style as a contributing factor.
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