<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Adam Telle, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, to serve as acting Army secretary after Dan Driscoll resigned from the position earlier this week.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump announced the appointment on Truth Social, stating, "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. He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://api.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/2025/08/29/0fa3fc32/final-asa-cw-hon-adam-r-telle-bio-as-of-28aug25.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">According to</a> his biography, Telle previously served as chief of staff for Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and was Trump's liaison to the Senate during the president's first term.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During his time in the first Trump administration, Telle was described in his biography as "a key player" in national security matters, working on initiatives such as the Abraham Accords and the establishment of the Space Force.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Telle's legislative experience includes collaboration with the Senate appropriations committee’s subcommittee to manage the Department of Homeland Security’s budget. He also served as chief of staff for former Sen. Thad Cochran for ten years.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Although Telle has not served in the Army, several former Army secretaries have taken on the role without prior military service since the department's inception.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It remains uncertain whether Trump will nominate Telle for the position of Army secretary permanently. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has been mentioned as a potential full-time replacement for Driscoll.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With Telle assuming the role in an acting capacity, both of the Army’s top officials remain unconfirmed, as Gen. Christopher LaNeve has not yet been nominated as Army chief of staff despite serving as acting chief for five months.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Driscoll resigned following public disagreements with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, including issues surrounding Gen. Randy George, Army chief of staff, who was reportedly forced into retirement.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Driscoll is the second high-ranking military secretary to leave during the Iran war, following Navy Secretary John Phelan's departure in April. Trump appointed Hung Cao as acting Navy secretary after Phelan's exit, and has since nominated him for the role permanently.</p>