Army Secretary Dan Driscoll accused the defense secretary of doing “generational damage” to the military, according to a report. Driscoll, who resigned on Monday, publicly praised both Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth in a statement released on Tuesday. However, one source told The Financial Times that Driscoll delivered a blunt message about Hegseth when handing Trump his resignation. Hegseth has conducting sweeping changes to the U.S. military, becoming increasingly controversial while doing so. The source told The Times that Driscoll believed Hegseth was doing “generational damage” to the U.S. military and that Driscoll had “tried so many different ways and so many times.” “But it was just clear that…Hegseth wasn’t willing to listen to the facts or the truth, or the reason, or any of that, because of his personal animosity,” the source continued. Hegseth, a former Fox and Friends Weekend host, has publicly declared that he wants to drastically change the Department of Defense, stating previously that he wanted it to be infused with a “warrior ethos.” “We became the woke department. We’re done with that s***,” he said. An analysis by The New York Times found that Hegseth had fired or blocked the promotions of more than 80 generals and admirals, around 10 percent of the military’s top officers. Asked for comment about reports that Hegseth recently blocked six promotions, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told The Independent: “Promotion recommendations sent to the Secretary of War have always been recommendations - never mandates.” Driscoll, a close ally of Vice President JD Vance, has widely been reported as having a tense relationship with Hegseth. However, in his statement on X, Driscoll wrote that it had been the “honor of a lifetime” to serve under Trump and Hegseth. “We could not have made the progress we did without the support of Secretary Hegseth,” he wrote.
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