Trump Names Adam Telle Acting Army Secretary

President Donald Trump has named Adam Telle, the current assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, to serve as acting secretary of the Army. The move comes days after Dan Driscoll stepped down from the post amid reported friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump described Telle as a great patriot respected by all in a statement on his social media platform, but offered little additional detail on the selection.

Driscoll, a third-generation Army veteran, announced his departure on Tuesday and said Wednesday would be his final day. In a public statement he called the role the honor of a lifetime and praised the service of soldiers and civilians. Reports indicated that months of tension with Hegseth contributed to the resignation, part of a wider pattern of turnover at senior levels of the Pentagon during the second Trump administration.

The acting appointment places Telle in charge of an institution responsible for organizing, training and equipping the largest branch of the U.S. military. His prior position focused on civil works projects, including infrastructure and environmental management on Army installations. That background differs from the operational and acquisition experience that has typically shaped recent Army secretaries. Telle assumes the role on an acting basis, bypassing the Senate confirmation process that normally applies to the permanent position.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina responded to the broader leadership changes by calling for Hegseth to be removed. Tillis cited what he described as unprecedented levels of mismanagement affecting service members and argued that the defense secretary lacked the depth of experience required for the post. Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major, entered the role with less prior government or senior military leadership experience than any recent defense secretary.

The sequence of departures at the Pentagon has drawn attention from lawmakers and analysts who track civil-military relations and institutional continuity. Frequent changes at the top can affect budget execution, acquisition programs and readiness planning, areas where steady leadership has historically mattered more than partisan alignment. The Army in particular manages large-scale modernization efforts and overseas commitments that require coordination across multiple agencies and with Congress.

Telle’s elevation reflects an administration preference for installing officials already inside the building rather than recruiting from outside. Acting officials can move quickly on policy but often face limits on long-term planning because their tenure can end without warning once a permanent nominee is confirmed or another replacement is chosen. In this case the appointment also occurs against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict involving Iran that has stretched Pentagon resources and planning staff.

Observers note that the civil works portfolio Telle previously managed emphasizes domestic infrastructure and environmental compliance, functions that intersect with but do not fully overlap the core warfighting responsibilities of the Army secretary. How he balances those priorities while managing relations with Hegseth and the White House will determine whether the acting arrangement stabilizes or further unsettles the service’s leadership team.