Financier Dan Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran who is close with Vice President JD Vance, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the next Army secretary.
The Senate voted 66-28 on Tuesday to approve Driscoll to be the Army’s top civilian, putting a little-known and relatively inexperienced figure in charge of the military’s largest branch. Despite Driscoll’s lack of leadership experience, he sailed through his confirmation process compared to other Trump administration nominees and garnered some bipartisan support.
Once he is sworn in, Driscoll will lead the Army at a time when all the military branches are scrambling to implement President Donald Trump’s executive orders directing federal agencies to eliminate any diversity programs and after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken steps to remove military officers he described as “roadblocks” to the administration’s agenda, including the top military lawyer in the Army.
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While culture wars have consumed the early days of the Trump administration’s Pentagon, Driscoll largely avoided those issues during his confirmation hearing. For example, when asked about promotions, Driscoll focused on the Army’s bias toward how long a service member has been in a role, rather than lodging complaints about diversity and inclusion that have become standard GOP talking points.
Driscoll, 38, served in the Army from 2007 to 2010 as a cavalry officer with the 10th Mountain Division. He deployed to Iraq in 2009 and left the service as a first lieutenant.
After leaving the Army, Driscoll attended Yale Law School, where he was classmates with Vance. He has since become a political adviser to Vance, including working as an adviser with the transition team prior to Trump’s inauguration. During Tuesday’s vote, Vance sat with Driscoll in the viewing gallery above the Senate floor and, at the end, chaired the Senate to announce the vote outcome.
Driscoll spent most of his professional career at venture capital and private equity firms. He also ran an unsuccessful campaign for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2020, coming in sixth place in a crowded Republican primary.
“Dan will bring relevant combat experience, a decorated military career, and a proven track record at the highest levels of law and business,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said on a social media post after Tuesday’s vote. “He will keep the Army focused on its mission and help achieve peace through strength.”
Beyond the political issues consuming the Pentagon in the early days of the Trump administration, Driscoll will come into the job at a time when the Army is spread thin across missions in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and now the U.S.-Mexico border; has been struggling for years to provide soldiers with adequate housing and food; and is working to keep up momentum on turning around a slump in recruiting.
While 16 Democrats voted in support of Driscoll, others expressed concern about confirming someone with a lack of experience leading a large organization amid the array of challenges facing the Army.
“While I remain dissatisfied by Mr. Driscoll’s utter lack of qualifications to lead an organization as big and complex as the Army, I hope, for the sake of our soldiers, that his improved preparation for this hearing is a sign that he takes seriously the incredible responsibility inherent in being secretary of the Army,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said in a statement late last month after Driscoll’s hearing. “We ask our troops to operate at the highest possible level, and it would be an insult to our brave soldiers to confirm someone who does not meet that same standard to lead them.”
Duckworth voted against Driscoll on Tuesday, and all 28 “no” votes came from Democrats..
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