Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly backing a decorated Afghanistan veteran and longtime Trump ally to become the next secretary of the Army as the White House works to fill a major opening at the Pentagon.
Hegseth has told people close to him that chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell would be his top choice for the position, several senior officials told CBS News.
However, President Donald Trump has not revealed his shortlist or publicly indicated whom he intends to nominate. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is reportedly overseeing the selection process.
“The DOW doesn’t comment on private conversations between administration officials,” a Defense Department spokesperson told CBS News.
A Familiar Trump Ally
Parnell currently serves as assistant to the defense secretary for public affairs and as a senior adviser to Hegseth. Trump personally announced his appointment as chief Pentagon spokesman in February 2025.
“A Great American Patriot, Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War,” Trump said at the time, praising Parnell for earning two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.
Parnell served as an Army infantry officer and commanded a platoon during intense fighting along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. He returned home with combat injuries, including shrapnel in his leg and a traumatic brain injury that caused migraines and vision problems.
The Pentagon’s official biography also credits Parnell with helping advance the VA MISSION Act, a veterans’ health care reform measure Trump signed during his first term.
Parnell later entered politics, narrowly losing a Pennsylvania congressional race in 2020 before launching a U.S. Senate campaign with Trump’s endorsement.
He suspended that campaign in 2021 during a contentious custody case in which his estranged wife accused him of abuse. Parnell denied the allegations and subsequently said he had been “vindicated” after years in the family court system.
Trump Still Holds The Final Card
Parnell’s name emerged after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation following months of reported friction with Hegseth.
The White House did not publicly address that tension when confirming Driscoll’s departure. Instead, spokesperson Anna Kelly praised him for advancing Trump’s agenda through his work on military readiness, major operations and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Fox News reported that Parnell already has support among some administration officials.
“A lot of people inside [the Office of the Secretary of War] want to see Sean Parnell become the next Secretary of the Army because they’ve worked alongside him and know what he brings to the table,” one senior administration official told Fox News Digital.
Another official pointed to Parnell’s loyalty to Trump, noting that he attended the July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the future president survived an assassination attempt.
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., an Army veteran and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has also been floated as a possible candidate, according to Fox News. Army Undersecretary Mike Obadal could temporarily lead the service while Trump weighs a permanent replacement.
For now, Parnell may be Hegseth’s preferred candidate—but the nomination belongs to Trump, and any permanent Army secretary will still require Senate confirmation.
