World · Daily Terminal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle, a civilian leader in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the acting Army secretary following Dan Driscoll’s departure amid widespread reports of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. He spent over 20 years working for Republican senators and in the White House during Trump’s first term, serving as the president’s chief liaison to the Senate. Trump praised him in a Truth Social post: “He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all.” Hegseth echoed this in his X post: “Huge congrats to Adam. Strong and whip smart. He is indeed a great Patriot—and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy.”
Driscoll gave no explanation for his resignation as the Army’s top civilian official. His clashes with Hegseth have been widely reported, and some of Driscoll’s allies in the Army were ousted this year by Trump’s Pentagon chief. Dan Driscoll, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, had a good relationship with Vice President JD Vance and bipartisan support in Congress. His allies, including Gen. Randy George, were removed by Hegseth, leading to Gen. Christopher LaNeve taking over as acting chief of staff and halting a drone modernization program Driscoll had championed.
Telle, appointed in August 2025, previously worked as chief of staff for Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee (2021–2025) and served as chief staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security Subcommittee. His roles included managing commercial navigation, flood damage reduction, and permitting under the Clean Water Act. Recent actions include approving a company’s plans to reroute an aging oil pipeline around a Wisconsin tribal reservation and overseeing a $3.2 billion flood control project in North Dakota.
Now overseeing the nation’s largest fighting force amid ongoing conflicts with Iran and significant Army deployments in the Middle East, Telle faces challenges related to the U.S. military’s shortfall in critical weapons like the Patriot and THAAD defense systems. Driscoll’s departure has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans, with Sen. Thom Tillis blaming Hegseth for creating a leadership void at the top of the military ranks.
Source: NBC News
