How the US Army secretary became a key figure in Ukraine peace talks

It started with a visit to war-torn Ukraine to gauge the use of drone technology. But as diplomatic momentum built up to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was tapped by President Donald Trump to help close the U.S.-backed deal.

“Driscoll is a trusted voice of the administration and a close ally,” a senior U.S. official told Military Times. The official said Driscoll emerged as a key member of the negotiating team due to a twist of fate.

“As these conversations were happening, he already had plans to be on the ground in Ukraine,” the official said.

The Army secretary had arranged a trip to Ukraine to see firsthand how its military utilizes drones in combat, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling.

Driscoll then went on to deliver a version of the Trump administration’s 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine to the country’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy , in Kyiv.

By Sunday, Driscoll headed to Geneva to hold talks with a Ukrainian delegation alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and other top U.S. officials.

In the subsequent days, he was dispatched to Abu Dhabi to meet with the Russians. He is expected to return to Kyiv this week, at the request of Trump, to work again with the Ukrainians.

“The talks are going well and we remain optimistic,” Driscoll’s spokesman Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert said in a statement. “Driscoll is closely synchronized with the White House and the U.S. interagency as these talks progress.”

It is the “Army-to-Army” dynamic that the Trump administration hopes will help Driscoll establish a good rapport with officials in Kyiv and Moscow, the senior U.S. official said.

Driscoll, at 38, was sworn in this past February as the youngest-ever U.S. Army secretary .

During his military career, he led a cavalry platoon in the 10th Mountain Division and deployed to Iraq in 2009. After three and a half years of service, he departed active duty to attend Yale Law School, where he met the future vice president, JD Vance.

A trusted member in Trump’s orbit, Driscoll is a close friend of Vance, and is often referred to as the “drone guy” by the president.

He leads over one million active, Guard and Reserve soldiers, as well as more than 265,000 civilian employees, according to the Army .

Driscoll briefly held a dual role of acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives , an unprecedented move for an Army secretary.

While Driscoll’s role as Army secretary typically involves bureaucratic tasks, such as overseeing budgets, he’s also taken on the challenge of diplomacy. And the president appears to be satisfied with Driscoll’s efforts so far.

“My team has made tremendous progress with respect to ending the war,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday. “In the hopes of finalizing this peace plan, I have directed my special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians. I will be briefed on all progress made.”

Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.

一切始于对饱受战火蹂躏的乌克兰的访问，目的是评估无人机技术的使用情况。但随着结束俄罗斯在乌克兰战争的外交势头不断增强，美国陆军部长丹·德里斯科尔被唐纳德·特朗普总统委任协助促成美国支持的这项协议。

一位美国高级官员告诉《军事时报》：“德里斯科尔是本届政府值得信赖的代言人，也是一位亲密的盟友。”这位官员表示，德里斯科尔能够成为谈判团队的关键成员，纯属机缘巧合。

“就在这些对话进行的同时，他已经计划前往乌克兰实地考察了，”这位官员说。

一位不愿透露姓名的官员表示，陆军部长已安排前往乌克兰，亲眼了解该国军队如何在战斗中使用无人机。该官员在讨论行程安排时表示。

随后，德里斯科尔在基辅向乌克兰领导人弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基递交了特朗普政府提出的 28 点乌克兰和平计划。

到周日，德里斯科尔前往日内瓦，与国务卿马可·卢比奥、白宫特使史蒂夫·威特科夫和其他美国高级官员一起与乌克兰代表团举行会谈。

随后几天，他被派往阿布扎比与俄罗斯方面会面。应特朗普的要求，他预计将于本周返回基辅，再次与乌克兰方面合作。

德里斯科尔的发言人杰夫·托尔伯特中校在一份声明中表示：“会谈进展顺利，我们保持乐观。随着会谈的推进，德里斯科尔与白宫和美国各部门保持着密切的协调。”

这位美国高级官员表示，特朗普政府希望这种“军队对军队”的互动能够帮助德里斯科尔与基辅和莫斯科的官员建立良好的关系。

38岁的德里斯科尔于今年2月宣誓就职，成为美国历史上最年轻的陆军部长。

在他的军旅生涯中，他曾担任第 10 山地师的一个骑兵排的指挥官，并于 2009 年被派往伊拉克。服役三年半后，他离开现役部队前往耶鲁大学法学院深造，在那里他遇到了未来的副总统 JD Vance。

德里斯科尔是特朗普圈子里一位值得信赖的成员，也是万斯的密友，经常被总统称为“无人机专家”。

据陆军称，他领导着超过一百万现役、国民警卫队和预备役士兵，以及超过 26.5 万名文职人员。

德里斯科尔曾短暂担任美国烟酒枪炮及爆炸物管理局代理局长一职，这对于一位陆军部长来说是前所未有的举动。

虽然德里斯科尔作为陆军部长的主要职责是处理预算监督等行政事务，但他同时也承担了外交方面的挑战。总统似乎对德里斯科尔迄今为止的努力感到满意。

特朗普周二在Truth Social网站上写道：“我的团队在结束战争方面取得了巨大进展。为了最终敲定这项和平计划，我已经指示我的特使史蒂夫·威特科夫在莫斯科与普京总统会面，与此同时，陆军部长丹·德里斯科尔也将与乌克兰方面会面。我将听取所有进展情况的汇报。”

Tanya Noury 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的记者，她的报道主要集中在白宫和五角大楼。