The U.S. Army’s largest annual convention kicks off Monday amid upheaval atop the military’s largest service and tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office, according to defense analysts and sources familiar with behind-the-scenes dynamics at the highest levels of Pentagon leadership.
The Association of the United States Army conference in downtown Washington will draw tens of thousands of Army personnel, defense industry leaders and other stakeholders from around the world. The annual gathering will put the Army, its modernization push and other key policy priorities front and center.
The conference, which comes as the Iran war carries on through its eighth month, will also serve as a showcase for cutting-edge drones, robots, missile and missile defense capabilities, firearms, artificial intelligence tools, manned ground vehicles, intelligence, and reconnaissance and surveillance equipment.
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Meanwhile, this is believed to be the first AUSA conference, which runs through Wednesday, with no Senate-confirmed Army secretary or chief of staff.
Acting Secretary Adam Telle took over following the resignation of Daniel Driscoll in late August.
Gen. Christopher LaNeve is the Army’s acting chief of staff following the firing of Gen. Randy George earlier this year.
In a statement to The Washington Times, Mr. Telle described an Army in lockstep with the goals of President Trump and Mr. Hegseth.
“Under President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth, we are paving the way for a system of seamless, frictionless symbiosis between the U.S. Army and American innovators. We are not just preparing for the next fight,” Mr. Telle said. “We are building the advantage for the fight after that. The Army is continuing to rapidly modernize to maintain our lethal edge.”
Sources have told The Times’ Threat Status platform that Mr. Driscoll and Mr. George clashed with Mr. Hegseth and his inner circle on a host of matters.
Mr. Driscoll’s modernization efforts inside the Army, and what has been described as a close relationship with Vice President J.D. Vance, are said to have been at the center of a contentious relationship between the former Army secretary and Mr. Hegseth.
Some analysts also say Mr. Hegseth has stoked tension with top leaders across the services rhetorically and on policy matters. His criticism of “fat generals,” delivered during an address to assembled brass at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia last year, is widely viewed as an example of that.
Then last month, the defense secretary spoke at Quantico to lower-level officers and enlisted service members, a distinction that some specialists say underscored the tension at play.
“Trust is hard to build in low-information environments where the participants fear arbitrary punishment. It is especially hard to build in a hierarchical system like the military if leaders stoke conflict and resentment between the lower and higher ranks,” said Peter Feaver, a professor of political science at Duke University who studies civil-military relations.
“The military has been remarkably compliant in implementing all of Secretary Hegseth’s new policies, but the secretary’s leadership style is better attuned to the rank and file than to the general and flag officers — and even less well attuned to congressional partners — on which the policies’ eventual success depends,” Mr. Feaver told The Times.
Mr. Hegseth’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
In his statement, Mr. Telle said the Army has been empowered by the administration and by Mr. Hegseth’s office specifically.
“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have provided us with unprecedented top cover to tear down bureaucratic hurdles that have slowed modernization,” the acting secretary said. “This team is empowered to drive generational change. The Army is grateful for [the office of the secretary of defense’s] support as we begin this year’s AUSA.”
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One former senior officer, who was granted anonymity to discuss the details of the military’s relationship with Mr. Hegseth’s office, said senior military leadership has serious questions about key policy issues.
“What are we doing in Europe? What’s the priority theater?” the former senior officer said. “Who is carrying the burden for all of the contingency operations around the globe? Who is getting the most resources?”
Earlier this month, Mr. Hegseth indicated that the U.S. could shift military resources from Europe to Central and South America to bolster the Pentagon’s efforts to combat drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.
That change would affect the Army more than any other service. The Army has about 80,000 personnel stationed in Europe, though the exact numbers fluctuate.
On the financial side, questions abound about whether the Army has the resources it needs to achieve its modernization and other goals.
One source familiar with internal Pentagon budget debates said that “the Army is just not winning the budget wars” in its fight for resources.
Budget uncertainty
The administration’s $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 defense budget proposal called for a significant Army funding boost, around 23% above 2026 levels. But that’s far below proposed increases for the Space Force, which could see its budget grow by more than 70%, while the Marine Corps budget could rise by 35%, according to data compiled by Air & Space Forces Magazine.
There are also major increases for Pentagon-wide spending programs outside the traditional military services, such as more than $54 billion for the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, a new umbrella initiative to field drones in large numbers.
More than $200 billion of the defense spending anticipated by the Trump administration for this fiscal year remains in limbo. Congress has to address the gap in a possible reconciliation spending measure after the midterm elections as bills for U.S. missile and rocket stockpiles, long-term military modernization and outstanding costs for the Iran war come due.
The outstanding costs could hamper the Army’s modernization efforts. Its leaders acknowledge that it’s largely up to Congress to address the funding questions.
“The U.S. must never enter a fair fight. We are equipping our soldiers with every competitive advantage they need to remain the most lethal and capable fighting force the world has ever seen,” Mr. Telle said in response to a question from The Times about the funding gap and the impact previous leadership had on modernization.
“While modernization will help us rightsize the cost curve, we need Congress’ help to fully fund these modernization efforts to ensure we can build drone dominance and bolster our lethality,” the acting Army secretary said.
Mr. Driscoll announced his resignation in August as budget questions swirled in Washington.
Even some of his immediate staff were caught off guard by the timing of his departure, having expected him to remain in the post through AUSA, according to sources familiar with his planning for the annual event.
Mr. Driscoll broke his silence recently in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone magazine. He described how the Trump administration was on the right path with its push to modernize the Army.
“When you’re an American soldier, you would get to work every day, and you basically step back like 20 or 30 years with tech,” he said. “President Trump came into his second term with a military that had been very poorly prepared for modern war.”
Mr. Driscoll has not publicly discussed details of his meetings with Mr. Hegseth or Mr. Trump, but has appeared to suggest disagreements arose.
“I’ll never talk about our private conversations,” he told Rolling Stone. “But we were both very passionate about our positions, and I would advocate as strongly as I possibly could — knowing I’m talking to my boss, and the final decision-maker.”
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