NewzWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle, a civilian leader in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the acting Army secretary following the departure of Dan Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. But he spent more than 20 years working for Republican senators as well as in the White House during Trump's first term, serving as the president's chief liaison to the Senate, according to an Army bio.“He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.Hegseth echoed that in his own post on X.“Huge congrats to Adam.
Strong and whip smart,” Hegseth wrote. “He is indeed a great Patriot — and will be an immediate asset to the @USArmy."Driscoll gave no explanation for his decision to quit this week as the Army's top civilian official. His clashes with Hegseth have been widely reported, and some of Driscoll’s allies in the Army were ousted this year by Trump’s Pentagon chief.Telle has been at the Army Office of Civil Works since August 2025, according to Legistorm, a website that tracks lawmakers and Capitol Hill staffers.
Before that, Telle worked as chief of staff for Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee from 2021 to 2025.Telle spent 18 months working in the White House during Trump's first term and 10 years working for the late Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, according to Legistorm.Telle also worked as the chief staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security Subcommittee, according to Hagerty's remarks when Telle was nominated for the civil works job in May 2025.In his most recent job, Telle focused on matters involving commercial navigation, flood damage reduction and permitting under the Clean Water Act.
Telle issued a statement in August about the approval of a company's plans to reroute an aging oil pipeline around a Wisconsin tribal reservation. In May, he was quoted in a story in The Forum, a newspaper in Fargo, North Dakota, about a $3.2 billion flood control project that will protect more than 200,000 people.Telle will now be overseeing the nation’s largest fighting force at a time when the U.S. is still engaged in conflict with Iran and significant Army forces are stationed in the Middle East.The war has significantly contributed to the U.S.
Adam Telle was sworn in as assistant secretary of the US Army in 2025 after being confirmed by the US Senate. (US Army Corps of Engineers pic)WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Thursday he was appointing a new acting secretary of the US Army, shortly after Dan Driscoll stepped down as its top civilian official following reported disagreements with Pentagon leadership."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," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "He is a great patriot, who is respected by all."Telle was sworn in as assistant secretary in August 2025 after being confirmed by the US Senate.
He spent much of his career as an aide on Capitol Hill.Driscoll's resignation marked the latest departure of a senior leader in the US military on Trump's watch.A former law school classmate of vice president JD Vance, Driscoll had reportedly benefited from their friendship within the administration, but clashed with defence secretary Pete Hegseth. Telle has previously worked for Trump during his first term as a special assistant to the president for legislative affairsDonald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle as the acting army secretary after the departure of Daniel Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with defense secretary Pete Hegseth.Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the army for civil works. Adam Telle appointed as acting US Army Secretary, Trump says US President Donald Trump said that he was appointing Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, as the acting US Army Secretary.
Summary from source