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August 22, 2026 / 11:17 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is considering stepping down from his post by the end of the year, two people familiar with the matter told CBS News Saturday.The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. A Pentagon spokesperson directed CBS News to the Army for comment, and CBS News has reached out to the Army.The possibility of Driscoll stepping down follows months of behind-the-scenes friction between him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.Hegseth in early April ousted Gen. Randy George as Army chief of staff, a close friend of Driscoll, with Hegseth asking George to step down and take early retirement.At the time, CBS News reported that George sent an outgoing email to Driscoll and other staff members in which he wrote that U.S. service members deserved "courageous leaders of character."It also comes after CBS News reported earlier this week that the Army was planning to phase out a drone battalion tasked with studying and taking on board lessons on drone warfare, including from the war in Ukraine.That drone unit, known as the Unmanned Assault Battalion, was formed just last year by George and former commander of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa, Gen. Christopher Donahue.
