Army Vacuum

I’m concerned. You should be as well. This week, Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll resigned. With his resignation, only one of the four most senior Army positions is confirmed by the Senate, and among the ten senior Army positions requiring confirmation, only half are confirmed. The others are either vacant, or people are serving in acting roles.

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, states: 

[The President] … by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law.

 That is, the Senate is to “Advise and Consent” on any number of appointments, including Cabinet Members and senior military positions. Currently there are ten such positions in the Army. Three of the four most senior positions do not have confirmed people serving. Here is the status of all ten:

• Secretary of the Army: This position is vacant following the resignation of Driscoll. Appointed by Donald Trump, he resigned after a reportedly stressed relationship with Secretary Hegseth. 
• Under Secretary of the Army: Michael Obadal is confirmed in the role.
• Chief of Staff of the Army: The top uniformed position in the service has been vacant of a permanent, Senate-approved officer since April 2026, when General Randy George was removed. General Christopher LaNeve, the (acting) Vice Chief of Staff is acting in the role of Chief. 
• Vice Chief of Staff of the Army: The Senate has yet to confirm General LaNeve himself as the Vice Chief, after he was tapped to replace General James Mingus. Mingus was forced into early retirement in early 2026. 
• Commander, Army Transformation and Training Command: After the forced retirement of General David Hodne, there is no confirmed replacement in place.
• US Cyber Command: The current commander, General Joshua Rudd is confirmed by the Senate.
• Commander, United Nations Command (Korea): The current commander, General Xavier T. Brunson, is confirmed by the Senate.
• Commander, U.S. Army Pacific Command: The current commander, General Ronald Clark is confirmed by the Senate.
• Commander U.S. Army Western Command: The current commander, General Joseph Ryan is confirmed by the Senate.
• Commander, U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF): Remains vacant of a permanent nominee following the unexpected retirement of General Christopher Donahue this spring.

More broadly, across the Army Hegseth has removed, retired, fired, or blocked the promotions of at least 21 General Officers. 

Of course this is going on during an active war. While the Navy and Air Force are doing much of the heavy lifting in the war with Iran, it is worth noting the Army is: 

• Providing Air Defense support for the region including Patriot and THAAD systems; 
• Providing base security and defense at forward operating bases across the Middle East;
• Coordinating the massive logistics network, including support of ammunition, fuel, medical supplies, and equipment. 

And if you missed it, the Pentagon just extended the in-theatre deployment of elements of the 82nd Airborne Division to a year.

 How is this happening? Why is this happening? Who is responsible for this happening? We all know the answers. Hegseth is intent on sidelining independent expertise and purging anyone who doesn’t offer absolute personal loyalty. 

This is not how our Army is supposed to function, and the soldiers carrying out missions downrange will pay the cost. We are already seeing the strain in theater and the institutional decay here at home.

Any smart leader, whether in the military or the civilian world, will tell you of the importance of honest dissent and debate in getting the best decisions and ensuring internal buy-in.  As my friend and West Point classmate Brigadier General (Ret) Steve Anderson said to me, “I always wanted my folks to push back enough to help me get it right.”

It is worth noting that good officers still remain in the Army and across the other services. Recently, the classified Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB) was leaked. The SDOB outlines the worldwide availability of U.S. warships, aircraft, personnel, and weapons systems. It reflects the president’s priorities for our forces, which are directed by the Secretary of Defense. In the leaked edition from August 14th, three of five four-star commanders in charge of U.S. military operations in Europe, the Pacific, and Southern Command, as well as the Navy’s top admiral, all informed Hegseth that due to so many diversions to the war in Iran, they could no longer perform all of their tasks if a war broke out in their part of the world. Think about that one for a minute.

 A professional military requires independent, capable leaders who tell hard truths, not an echo chamber of political compliance. By hollowing out the Army command structure for political control, we aren’t strengthening national security—we are actively dismantling it.

 This damage will take years to fix. The warning signs are already flashing.

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 Addendum: 

• Special thanks to my friend and West Point classmate, Brigadier General (Ret) Steve Anderson. He reviewed this blog and provided some excellent suggestions. You may recognize his name, as he is a frequent commentator and contributor for several TV news shows.  Steve is one of the good guys, and makes a difference every day.