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Trump appoints Adam Telle acting Army secretary after Dan Driscoll resigns
ReTrump appoints Adam Telle acting Army secretary after Dan Driscoll resigns
President Donald Trump named Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, as acting Army secretary following Dan Driscoll's resignation. Telle, confirmed by the Senate in 2025, brings Capitol Hill experience to the role as the administration works to confirm stalled Army nominees.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Adam Telle, the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will serve as acting secretary of the Army, filling a leadership vacancy at the top of the nation's largest military branch. The appointment takes effect immediately, Trump said in a post on Truth Social, praising Telle as «a Great Patriot, who is respected by all.»
Telle steps into the role after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to the president earlier this week. Driscoll said Wednesday would be his «last full day» in the position, describing his service under Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as «the honor of a lifetime.» In a statement posted on X, Driscoll credited the administration with helping modernize and accelerate how the Army mans, trains, and equips its forces, adding, «I am forever grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to once again serve my country.»
Telle was nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate in 2025. In his current role, he oversees the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works program, with responsibilities that include flood and storm protection, commercial waterways, and Clean Water Act permitting. His background also includes service as chief of staff to Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and as Trump's chief liaison to the Senate during the president's first administration, when he led the White House Office of Legislative Affairs' Senate team.
Earlier in his career, Telle worked on the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee responsible for overseeing the Department of Homeland Security's budget. He also spent a decade in the office of former Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., where he served as deputy chief of staff, legislative director, and the senator's top national security staffer.
Telle is regarded as having strong relationships with senators on Capitol Hill, a factor that could prove significant as the administration works to secure confirmation for Army nominees whose appointments have stalled in the Senate. His appointment addresses a key leadership gap atop the Army at a time of ongoing transformation and readiness efforts.
Driscoll's departure followed reports that he had clashed with Hegseth over the Army's transformation and readiness, including Driscoll's belief that Hegseth had hindered those efforts. The outgoing secretary, however, struck a conciliatory tone in his farewell statement, saying, «We could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth.»
