Two Mississippians are now among the leaders in United States military policy, partially charged with steering the nation through the monthslong conflict with Iran that has skyrocketed gas prices.
President Donald Trump named Adam Telle the Acting Secretary of the Army on Sept. 3, replacing Daniel Driscoll. Driscoll didn't give a reason for his departure in his social media announcement, and he leaves behind a military grappling with a war that has continued for much longer than initial estimates indicated.
Telle, who had served as the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works since August 2025, is now in charge of that military. A Mississippi State University graduate and former staffer for Sen. Thad Cochran, Telle is the seventh Secretary of the Army in Trump's six-year tenure.
Part of what Telle will navigate in his new role is the ongoing war in Iran, including the details of the Army's presence abroad. Lawmakers and national media have criticized Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's handling of the military during the conflict, particularly after reports of suicide attempts on the USS Lincoln emerged in August.
Ultimately, Telle doesn't have the final say when it comes to war. But a major element of his job involves presenting plans and budget requests to the congressional defense committees, where he could unite with a fellow Mississippian.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, a position he has held for more than a year. From his seat in Congress, Wicker has pushed back against Trump's foreign policy in increasingly stronger terms over the past six months.
In Wicker's view, according to a June 2026 statement he issued, Trump has gone too easy on Iran. He was "concerned," he wrote, that the negotiated memorandum of understanding was "completely out of step" with the country's goals.
Telle's new position places him between two forces, Wicker and Trump, whose priorities have inched further apart as the war has stretched well past Trump's initial four-week prediction. The president has floated ceasefires and concessions to stop the war, while the senator has maintained his hardline position that the only path forward is the complete destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, the American public has floundered under spiking gas prices as the Middle East remains unstable.
Telle became one of the most powerful military leaders in the country at a critical inflection point in the war. His plans for the hundreds of billions of dollars and roughly one million soldiers in the Army could signal an end to the extended conflict.
Bea Anhuci is the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She has covered Mississippi politics since the start of 2026. Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Trump names Adam Telle acting secretary of the Army