Telle Named Acting Army Secretary After Driscoll Quits

Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, the official who oversees the Army Corps of Engineers' water and infrastructure portfolio.

Why Driscoll left

Driscoll submitted his resignation earlier this week. The New York Times reported he had clashed with Hegseth over the purge of top generals in the Army.

The Washington Examiner reported that the disagreements between the two men had spilled into public view, and that one of them concerned Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff, who was reportedly forced into retirement.

Driscoll is the second service secretary to leave during the Iran conflict. Navy Secretary John Phelan departed in April; Trump named Hung Cao acting Navy secretary and has since nominated him for the job permanently.

Who Telle is

Telle did not serve in the Army, though the Washington Examiner noted that a handful of Army secretaries have taken the job without having served.

According to his official Army biography, cited by the Washington Examiner, Telle was chief of staff to Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and served as Trump's liaison to the Senate during the first term, working on the Abraham Accords and the authorization of the Space Force. He also spent a decade as chief of staff to the late Sen. Thad Cochran and worked on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee handling the Department of Homeland Security's budget.

Two unconfirmed leaders

With Telle in an acting role, the Army's top two positions are both filled by officials who have not been confirmed by the Senate. Gen. Christopher LaNeve has served as acting Army chief of staff for five months without being nominated for the post, the Washington Examiner reported.