00:00The U.S. Army's top civilian official is stepping down after about 18 months in the job.
00:05Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to U.S. President Donald Trump
00:10after months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth
00:13over the Army's future direction and the removal of several senior officers.
00:20The White House did not give a reason for Driscoll's departure,
00:23but The Wall Street Journal reported that his resignation comes after months of friction with Hexeth.
00:30The 41-year-old Driscoll is an Army veteran who served in Iraq.
00:33He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020,
00:37before later serving as an advisor to Trump's 2024 re-election campaign.
00:41His departure comes amid a wider shake-up of military leadership in the U.S.
00:46Hexeth removed more than a dozen senior officers since taking over at the Pentagon,
00:51including Navy Secretary John Phelan and Army Chief of Staff General Randy George.
00:56The turmoil has left the Army without permanent leadership at both the civilian and military levels.
01:02With the Iran war now in its seven months,
01:04the leadership gap comes at a critical time for the U.S. Army.
