Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll tapped as acting head of ATF operations

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll will serve as the temporary head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives without giving up his military leadership role, a defense official confirmed Wednesday.

The unusual move — which gives Driscoll the top post in two separate, complex federal agencies — came after President Donald Trump opted to remove FBI Director Kash Patel from the acting director role in recent days.

White House officials did not release information on why Patel was relieved or why Driscoll was selected for the extra post. Defense Department officials declined to comment on whether the new role will take away from Driscoll’s focus on leading the Army.

Driscoll, 38, was confirmed to the top Army job by the Senate just 43 days ago. He is a former senior adviser to Vice President JD Vance and spent four years in the Army, including a deployment to Iraq in 2009.

As the temporary head of ATF, Driscoll will lead efforts within the Department of Justice to investigate federal offenses related to firearms use and sales, as well as illegal sales of explosives, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.

White House officials under Trump have suggested merging the ATF with another agency — potentially the Drug Enforcement Administration — to cut back on bureaucracy and federal staffing. No specific plans have been outlined yet.

Meanwhile, Defense Department leaders are conducting reviews of service civilian staffing and missions for possible budget cuts in the future.

Unlike his predecessors in the White House, Trump has used his executive powers to double task a number of senior officials in temporary leadership roles.

For example, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was sworn in by the Senate for that leadership role but is also serving as the interim head of the Office of Government Ethics and the Office of Special Counsel while the administration reorganizes both agencies.

Outside advocates have warned that the multiple jobs could distract appointees from their primary duties and create confusion about command responsibilities within the affected agencies.