Trump Appoints Adam R. Telle as Acting Army Secretary

President Trump announced on Thursday the appointment of Adam R. Telle, the official overseeing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the acting Army secretary. This decision follows the resignation of Daniel P. Driscoll, who stepped down earlier this week after disagreements with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding the removal of senior Army generals. Under normal circumstances, Michael Obadal, the under secretary of the Army and principal deputy to Mr. Driscoll, would have assumed the role of acting secretary. Mr. Telle, previously the assistant secretary for civil works, is responsible for the Army’s public engineering and construction projects. The Army Corps of Engineers plays a key role in constructing infrastructure such as dams and sea walls to mitigate flooding. Earlier this summer, Army engineers built temporary barriers to protect Juneau, Alaska, from flooding. Last year, the Trump administration instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the approval process for fossil fuel projects, including pipelines and power plants, as part of efforts to boost U.S. oil, gas, and coal production. Prior to his role in the Army, Mr. Telle served as the chief of staff to Senator Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee, and was the chief liaison to the Senate during Trump’s first term as head of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs’ Senate team.