OpenAI Adds Former Army Secretary to National Security Team
Driscoll’s newly created position will involve advising OpenAI and its partners in government, industry and academia on strategies for using artificial intelligence in national security. The company said his work would include helping its teams understand the operational needs of security institutions and promoting what it calls democratic AI.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said the company wants AI to benefit people and sees cooperation with other countries as a way to extend democratic approaches to the technology. Driscoll said he intends to help the United States and its allies use AI responsibly, arguing that the needs of national security organizations are changing rapidly.
Driscoll left his Army post in late summer, after tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over issues including military promotions and modernization. While Army secretary, he oversaw a program that brought technology executives, including OpenAI employees, into a reserve corps to advise the service on technology projects. He also briefly headed the federal agency overseeing alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives.
OpenAI has expanded its work in defense, including a 2025 Pentagon contract to develop AI tools and a partnership with defense company Anduril. An American University business-school chair described Driscoll’s hiring as part of the company’s effort to build government relationships and pursue defense demand. He also raised concerns that former officials’ ties could affect procurement fairness. OpenAI said it would follow post-employment restrictions.
OpenAI’s Pentagon Ties Deepen With Former Army Chief Hire
OpenAI’s decision to bring former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll into a new national security role deepens the company’s ties to the institutions that shape AI’s use in defense. The job will have him advising partners across government and other sectors on security modernization and AI deployment.
The company says Driscoll will help advance responsible use and work with U.S. allies. But the hire comes as OpenAI pursues defense work, including a Pentagon contract and a partnership with defense firm Anduril. An American University business-school chair warned that recruiting former senior officials can raise concerns about whether government purchasing decisions are based on merit or relationships. OpenAI says it will observe post-employment restrictions.
Driscoll left the Army in late summer after tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, including disputes over promotions and modernization. During his Army tenure, he oversaw a program that brought technology executives, including OpenAI employees, into a reserve corps to advise the service.
Altman has presented international cooperation on AI as a way to promote democratic approaches. That goal does not remove the need for clear safeguards when a company seeking government work hires a former senior official. Driscoll’s new role puts that accountability question squarely alongside OpenAI’s promise of responsible AI.
OpenAI Turns to Former Army Chief to Advance Security AI
OpenAI’s hiring of former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll reflects the importance of practical government experience as the United States seeks to put AI to work for national security. In a newly created role, he will advise the company and partners across government, industry and academia on modernization and responsible AI use.
Driscoll says security needs are changing quickly and that AI can help personnel process information and get useful answers faster. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has said the company wants to work with other countries to encourage democratic approaches to AI. Driscoll’s remit includes cooperation with U.S. allies.
His Army record includes overseeing a reserve program that brought technology executives, among them OpenAI employees, into the service to advise on technology projects. He left the post in late summer after disputes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that included military promotions and modernization.
OpenAI already has defense-sector work, including a Pentagon contract and a partnership with Anduril. Critics have raised concerns that hiring former officials could complicate fair procurement, while the company says it will comply with post-employment rules. Those concerns deserve attention, but they do not erase the national security challenge: government institutions need effective tools, and Driscoll’s assignment is to help make AI useful to them and America’s allies.
Reported by The Washington Examiner, Semafor, The Daily Caller, Fox Business, Fortune.
