President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle to serve as acting Army secretary following Dan Driscoll’s resignation from the role earlier this week.
“I am pleased to announce that Adam Telle, the current Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, will become Acting Secretary of the Army, effective immediately,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
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According to his biography, Telle previously worked under Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) as his chief of staff and was Trump’s liaison to the Senate during the president’s first term.
While working in the first Trump administration, Telle’s biography said he was “a key player” in the national security arena. Telle worked closely on the Abraham Accords and the authorization of the Space Force.
Telle’s legislative experience also includes working with the Senate appropriations committee’s subcommittee to manage the Department of Homeland Security’s budget. He also worked as former Sen. Thad Cochran’s chief of staff for 10 years.
The newly appointed Telle did not serve in the Army, but a handful of former Army secretaries have taken on the job without having served since the department’s founding.
While Telle was appointed to the role in an acting capacity, it is unclear whether Trump will nominate him to serve permanently as Army secretary. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell had been floated in some circles as a potential full-time replacement for Driscoll.
With Telle taking on the role in an acting capacity, the Army’s top two officials are unconfirmed, as Gen. Christopher LaNeve has still not been nominated as Army chief of staff despite serving as acting chief for five months.
Driscoll submitted his resignation following disagreements with War Secretary Pete Hegseth that seeped into the public eye, one of which dealt with Gen. Randy George, Army chief of staff, being reportedly forced into retirement.
Driscoll is the second top military secretary in months to exit during the Iran war after Navy Secretary John Phelan left the administration in April. Trump appointed Hung Cao as acting Navy secretary after Phelan’s exit, but has since nominated him to take on the role permanently.
