When talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war took an unexpected turn last week, with the leak of a peace plan said to come from the US, the Trump administration dispatched an unlikely figure to attend a flurry of overseas meetings.
The youngest-ever army secretary, 39-year-old Dan Driscoll is often referred to as President Donald Trump's "drone guy" for his embrace of emerging battlefield technologies. Until recently, he was mostly known for discussions of budgets, supplies and staff issues in the military's largest branch.
Driscoll does not appear have a long history of dealing with Russian and Ukraine, or experience in international diplomacy, and has never held public office.
So, who is this increasingly prominent figure within the administration?
It is Driscoll's relationship with the now-vice president, JD Vance, that brought him into Trump's orbit.
