OpenAI appoints former U.S. Army Secretary as national security advisor

OpenAI has appointed Daniel Driscoll, the youngest person to serve as U.S. Army Secretary, as its new Senior Advisor for National Security and Modernization. In this role, Driscoll will facilitate the deployment of AI technologies within national security and cybersecurity sectors while coordinating with government and academic entities.

This appointment follows OpenAI's policy shift in 2024, which moved the organization away from its initial ban on military applications of its software. The company has since secured a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy AI models within classified government networks. This position became available in part because of industry volatility, including the collapse of a similar partnership between the Pentagon and rival firm Anthropic due to ethical disagreements over autonomous weapons.

Driscoll concluded his term as Army Secretary in August 2025 following a tenure marked by tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. CEO Sam Altman has indicated that Driscoll’s expertise will be central to the company’s objective of advancing AI applications that align with democratic principles.