President Donald Trump on Thursday appointed Adam Telle, a civilian official within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to serve as acting Army secretary. The move follows the resignation of Dan Driscoll, whose departure occurred amid widespread reports of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Telle presently serves as assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. According to an Army biography, he previously accumulated over two decades of experience working for Republican senators and served in the White House during Trump's first presidential term as the administration's primary liaison to the Senate.

Expressing confidence in the appointment, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post:

"He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all,"

Hegseth supported the decision, offering his endorsement on X:'

"Huge congrats to Adam. Strong and whip smart,"

Hegseth added:

"He is indeed a great Patriot — and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy."

Driscoll offered no explanation for his decision to step down from his post as the Army's top civilian leader earlier this week. Reports of ongoing disputes between Driscoll and Hegseth have circulated widely, accompanied by the removal of several of Driscoll's allies within the service by Trump's defense chief earlier this year.

Data from legislative tracking platform Legistorm indicates that Telle assumed his role at the Army Office of Civil Works in August 2025. Prior to that appointment, he served as chief of staff to Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee from 2021 to 2025.

Telle's background also includes an 18-month stint in the White House during Trump's first administration and ten years of service under the late Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, according to Legistorm. Additionally, floor remarks delivered by Sen. Hagerty during Telle's May 2025 nomination highlight his previous role as chief staff member for the Senate Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security Subcommittee.

In his civil works position, Telle's oversight concentrated on commercial navigation, flood mitigation, and Clean Water Act permitting. In August, he issued a statement regarding the approval of plans to reroute an aging oil pipeline around a tribal reservation in Wisconsin. Earlier in May, he appeared in Fargo, North Dakota's The Forum newspaper discussing a $3.2 billion flood control initiative designed to protect over 200,000 residents.

Telle steps in to lead the nation's largest military branch amid ongoing U.S. engagement in hostilities with Iran and substantial Army troop deployments across the Middle East. The active conflict has exacerbated severe inventory shortages of key defense munitions, notably Patriot and THAAD interceptor systems operated by the Army.

Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran and personal friend of Vice President JD Vance, maintained strong bipartisan relationships across Capitol Hill. His departure follows the removal of key military figures by Hegseth, including the Army's former top officer, Gen. Randy George. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who subsequently assumed duties as the Army's acting chief of staff, recently terminated a drone modernization program that Driscoll had actively promoted.

As previously reported by The Associated Press, Driscoll conferred with Trump regarding the status of the Army prior to handing in his resignation. In his sole public statement regarding his exit on Tuesday, Driscoll made no reference to internal friction, describing his tenure as:

"the honor of a lifetime"

He added that it was a privilege to serve as Army secretary under Trump and Hegseth.

Lawmakers from both parties expressed regret over Driscoll's exit, with several directly attributing the instability to Hegseth. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is retiring and has periodically conflicted with Trump, remarked on social media that Hegseth:

"is creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks." (AP)