President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Daniel Driscoll to be the next U.S. Army secretary, saying the veteran will be a “fearless and relentless fighter” for the service.
In a statement, Trump said that Driscoll “brings a powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent” for the Army.
Driscoll has a background in venture capital and private equity firms but has most recently worked as a senior adviser to Vice President-elect JD Vance. The two were classmates at Yale Law School.
In an interview with PBS in August, Driscoll spoke about working with Vance on student-veteran outreach efforts and how their military experience shaped their views towards government and foreign policy.
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“I think a lot of us that were there look back on it and are kind of horrified when you see how those decisions were made and what the cost was,” he said.
Driscoll is a North Carolina native who served in the Army and deployed to Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division as a Cavalry Scout platoon leader. He also completed U.S. Army Ranger school.
He is the second service secretary pick announced by Trump in the last week. Earlier, he announced businessman John Phelan as his choice to lead the Navy.
Neither Driscoll nor Phelan has served in senior military leadership roles in the past. Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Army veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, similarly has not held any senior Defense Department roles.
All three will need to be confirmed by the Senate before assuming their new leadership posts. Confirmation hearings are expected to be held in January, after the new Congress is seated.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
