On November 27, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Daniel Driscoll to be the next U.S. Army Secretary, stating that Driscoll will be a “fearless and relentless fighter” for the service. Trump described Driscoll as bringing a powerful combination of experiences to the role, positioning him as a disruptor and change agent for the Army.
Driscoll has a background in venture capital and private equity but has most recently served as a senior advisor to Vice President-elect JD Vance, with whom he shares an educational background as classmates at Yale Law School. In an interview with PBS in August, Driscoll discussed their collaborative efforts on student-veteran outreach and reflected on how their military experiences have influenced their perspectives on government and foreign policy.
He is a native of North Carolina and previously served in the Army, where he deployed to Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division as a Cavalry Scout platoon leader. Driscoll also completed the U.S. Army Ranger School.
Driscoll is the second service secretary pick made by Trump within a week; earlier, Trump announced businessman John Phelan as his choice to lead the Navy. Notably, neither Driscoll nor Phelan has previously held senior military leadership roles. Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Army veteran, and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, similarly lacks experience in senior Defense Department positions.
All three nominees will need to be confirmed by the Senate before they can assume their new leadership roles, with confirmation hearings expected to take place in January, following the seating of the new Congress.
