Army Secretary Driscoll’s profile grows as Trump administration’s ‘serious guy’

It’s easy to overlook Daniel P. Driscoll, who at 38 is the youngest secretary in U.S. Army history, as part of a Trump diplomatic team that features heavyweights such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Yet Washington insiders have figured out something the rest of the world is learning as Mr. Driscoll takes on an increasingly visible role in U.S.-Ukraine peace negotiations: The former North Carolina businessman clearly has the full support of the commander in chief.

Mr. Driscoll traveled to Kyiv last week on an official stop to support Ukraine’s and Europe’s ongoing peace negotiations with the U.S.

He is the highest-ranking Trump administration official to visit the conflict zone, spurring a narrative that a potential deal may be closer than expected.

Mr. Driscoll is on the rise as the administration’s official envoy to Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, is expected to step down in the coming weeks.

It fits with Mr. Driscoll’s reputation in Washington. He is known for being a problem solver, texting members of Congress for feedback and input and leveraging budding relationships across the aisle with Democrats to further his Army Transformation Initiative.

“I don’t agree with Secretary Driscoll on everything, but I don’t expect to with a Republican administration,” said a Democratic lawmaker who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of oversight dynamics. “He’s a serious guy who is willing to have a conversation in a way that is both professional and shows he has a cogent worldview.

“I’ll take that every time.”

Against that backdrop is the consistent presence of Mr. Driscoll’s boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in national headlines. Mr. Hegseth continues to address what critics and some defense insiders consider political set pieces. His theatrical approach, as some critics perceive it, extends to physical fitness standards and grooming regulations, leading to reports that some senior officers have lost trust and respect for the secretary.

Mr. Hegseth’s political capital is waning, including with Republicans.

Sen. Roger F. Wicker, Mississippi Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, consistently presses Mr. Hegseth for public commitments to follow congressional directives in hearings on Capitol Hill.

Other members of the committee have openly said they see Mr. Hegseth attempting to limit their oversight responsibilities, specifically through a new Pentagon policy that restricts direct communication between the service members and Congress.

Mr. Driscoll’s work, by comparison, is increasingly getting Congress on board with his initiatives.

He engaged with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, in pushing for the “right to repair” provision in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. His work on that and other issues has endeared him to much of the Senate Armed Services Committee on both sides of the aisle.

Ms. Warren, a self-described grassroots liberal, said Mr. Driscoll was a key ally in resisting lobbying efforts by large military defense firms against the provision. His willingness to at least act as a “serious guy” has helped him grow something rare and fragile in the nation’s capital: trust.

A U.S. Army veteran, Mr. Driscoll left the military for a career in investment banking. He enrolled at Yale Law School, where he was introduced to another former military member, Vice President J.D. Vance. As a pair of combat veterans navigating the transition from military service to civilian life, the two hit it off.

It shows.

During his trip to Ukraine, the North Carolina native facilitated a conversation between the vice president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mr. Zelenskyy said the talk covered “a lot of details of the American side’s proposals for ending the war.”

Mr. Vance, who fanned the flames of an argument over gratitude between President Trump and Mr. Zelenskyy in February, speaks frequently with the Army leader.

Mr. Driscoll’s involvement in Ukraine speaks to a White House that sees the need for a less involved but straightforward representative to engage with Ukrainian leadership and Russian heads of state.

That straight-talk reputation is something Mr. Driscoll is attempting to extend beyond Washington. He has gone on numerous media and culture podcasts, tends to engage directly with press at events, and rarely misses an opportunity to speak to large audiences of industry and military professionals.

Mr. Driscoll has seemingly sidestepped much of that tension between his own party and Democrats.

Senior Republican lawmakers have gone so far as to see Mr. Driscoll as the second in line, should Mr. Hegseth vacate his office, according to two who spoke to The Washington Times.

Mr. Trump sees Mr. Driscoll as his “drone guy” as he pushes forward with attempting to modernize the U.S. Army’s warfighting technologies. Mr. Driscoll has often described the department as a “bad customer” for new technology, leveraging his business background by saying it didn’t manage contracts effectively.

He has also weathered much of Mr. Trump’s most controversial moves involving the military, notably the deployment of National Guard troops across the country, with a level of aplomb that has further solidified his reputation as a serious operator.

Balancing all this, he is also acting as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

It’s yet another file in the growing portfolio given to him by the Trump administration. Now add Ukraine peace negotiator.