A Pennsylvanian who once received support from President Donald Trump to run for U.S. Senate may be selected to serve as the next secretary of the Army.
CBS News reported on Thursday several senior officials have said that U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s top choice to be the next secretary of the Army would be Sean Parnell, a combat veteran who currently serves as a senior advisor and assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs.
Reports first surfaced last week that Hegseth favored seeing Parnell in that role as chatter continued about Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s future in the Trump administration. Driscoll’s final day serving was on Wednesday.
Parnell, a native of western Pennsylvania, previously announced candidacies for two different offices in the Keystone State.
In 2020, Parnell was the Republican Party nominee for Pennsylvania’s 17th U.S. House District. He narrowly lost to incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb.
The following year, Parnell announced his intentions to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Trump endorsed his candidacy early on, however, Parnell dropped out of the race after losing a court battle over the custody of several of his children in 2021, according to City & State PA.
During divorce proceedings, according to NOTUS, Parnell’s estranged wife alleged she endured years of rage and abuse from him, including being choked – charges he called “baseless” at the time.
Just a few weeks after being sworn in for a second term, Trump announced that he was nominating Parnell to serve as the chief Pentagon spokesperson for his administration.
Following the nomination, Parnell said he was honored to be selected for the position.
“I must emphasize that I am the leader I am today because of the incredible Soldiers I served with in Afghanistan. Their bravery, dedication, courage & sacrifice have shaped me profoundly,” Parnell wrote on social media in Feb. 2025. “I am alive today because of them.”
“I accept this position with great humility, recognizing that we are all standing on the shoulders of giants-those warriors who came before us, who sacrificed so much on behalf of a grateful nation,” he continued. “I also want to thank my wonderful wife, Melanie, & our five incredible children for their unwavering support & love. This achievement is as much theirs as it is mine. Time to get to work!”
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will lead the process to name the next secretary of the Army, according to CBS News, adding that it’s currently not clear who is on Trump’s shortlist for the role.
However, NOTUS reports that Parnell would “probably face a tough path to Senate confirmation,” saying that critics of his believe that he is “highly partisan and too closely aligned” with Hegseth.
