Sep 3, 2026 · 20 min
Pentagon feud exposes a fight over credit and control
The Man Who Tried to Save the Pentagon
The clash between Pete Hegseth and Dan Driscoll shows how political style, personal influence, and defense modernization collided inside the administration.
- 1Dan Driscoll’s military background and ties to J.D. Vance helped propel him into a powerful Pentagon role.
- 2Driscoll’s push to bring younger defense-technology startups into procurement challenged entrenched contractors and established influence.
- 3The feud centered less on policy than on who controlled the initiative and received credit, ending with Driscoll’s resignation.
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The brief
Julia Ioffe and Peter Hamby open on the Pentagon rivalry between Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, whose rising profile unsettled Hegseth.
Driscoll’s military background, Yale Law ties to J.D. and Usha Vance, and path through the Trump-Vance campaign positioned him as an unusual modernization-minded figure.
As Army secretary, Driscoll oversaw resources and modernization while the Army chief of staff commanded troops; his agenda sought younger defense-technology startups over dominant contractors.
The conflict reflected competing Republican styles and a battle for credit, with Hegseth’s media-forward persona clashing against Driscoll’s conventional Washington networks.
J.D. Vance tried to broker a truce, but Driscoll’s later attempt to warn Donald Trump about military turmoil was redirected toward more flattering subjects.
Driscoll’s resignation leaves a broader question about whether Pentagon reform can survive a political culture organized around loyalty, visibility, and control.