Dan Driscoll’s resignation as US Secretary of the Army has become another sign of the deepening internal conflict at the Pentagon. According to The Wall Street Journal, his departure comes amid serious tensions between Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and senior military leaders.
Political analyst and American affairs expert Malek Dudakov told aif.ru that the confrontation has been building for some time and extends far beyond Driscoll himself. In his assessment, Hegseth has dismissed a number of generals and officials in recent months while shifting responsibility for the failed operation in Iran onto them.
Dudakov argued that Hegseth had been one of the main advocates of that campaign but is now unwilling to acknowledge his own mistakes. According to the analyst, support from US President Donald Trump gives the Pentagon chief room to remove officials and military figures who come into conflict with him.
Driscoll, whom Dudakov described as a protégé of Vice President JD Vance, had taken a skeptical view of the escalation in the Middle East from the outset. The analyst interpreted his decision to leave early as an attempt to avoid becoming the person ultimately blamed for the situation.
The tensions, however, are not confined to a dispute between individual officials. Dudakov said that four-star generals and the leadership of the US Air Force, Navy and Army are effectively engaged in what he called a «slow-moving mutiny.»
According to him, senior military commanders have demanded that Hegseth end the war with Iran. They warned that otherwise the US military could be left without sufficient resources.
Dudakov described the situation inside the Pentagon as a serious internal rupture. He believes that unless the crisis is brought under control, the capabilities of the US military could be significantly weakened both in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
Driscoll’s departure also affects the Ukraine track. He had previously been appointed special envoy for negotiations with Ukraine, replacing Keith Kellogg.
Dudakov now believes that this area has effectively been left without a coordinator. He does not expect an alternative figure to be appointed in the near future and predicts that the internal power struggle at the Pentagon will continue to deepen.