Army Secretary Tapped to Also Lead ATF in Unusual Dual Role

Some reason for this very unusual move?? from another article -- Driscoll will remain secretary of the Army, according to a defense official. This puts a defense leader — with an already large job — in charge of a domestic law enforcement agency. U.S. defense officials have historically tried to maintain a strict divide between military forces and law enforcement. U.S. troops are not allowed to participate in law enforcement activities on American soil. They do, however, provide support and intelligence gathering to Custom and Border Protection to help secure the southern border.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is poised to assume temporary leadership of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a rare dual appointment that places the 38-year-old at the helm of two high-stakes federal institutions, according to five defense officials familiar with the matter.

Driscoll, who has been a close friend of Vice President JD Vance since the pair met at Yale Law School, has spent most of his professional career in venture capital and other business enterprises. He came into the Army secretary role with a light resume compared to his predecessors, most of whom had robust backgrounds in national security policy.