OpenAI Hires Former US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll for National Security Role

According to OpenAI, Driscoll will focus on how AI can strengthen US national security and cybersecurity. He will work with the company's senior leadership and outside partners, with particular attention to helping US allies adopt advanced AI responsibly. His LinkedIn profile has been updated to show the new position, CNBC reported.

Chief executive Sam Altman said the United States has "an extraordinary opportunity to work with other countries to spread the adoption of democratic AI". He said Driscoll's appointment would help strengthen American leadership in the technology.

"National security requirements are changing faster than at any time in the past fifty years," Driscoll said. He added that AI could cut paperwork, process information and give answers more quickly to people working in national security.

Who Driscoll Is

Driscoll, an Iraq war veteran, left the post of Army secretary earlier this year after months of reported tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to CNBC. While in office he pushed to modernize the military, including wider access to drone and counter-drone technology among US allies, according to an earlier Army announcement. In November 2025 he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to discuss a US-proposed plan to end the war with Russia, according to Ukraine's Presidential Office.

At OpenAI, he will work with government officials, industry leaders, academic institutions and allied organizations to promote what the company calls "democratic AI". He will also help internal teams understand how national security institutions operate. That work builds on OpenAI's Daybreak program, which focuses on cyber resilience and protecting essential services.

Why It Matters

The appointment is the latest sign that leading US AI developers want to be suppliers to defence and security agencies, and are hiring senior former officials to manage those relationships. The emphasis on allies matters for governments outside the United States. Altman spoke about spreading "democratic AI" to other countries in the same week OpenAI signed a set of agreements with the Abu Dhabi government and state-linked companies.

For procurement officials and defence-adjacent companies, the hire shows that OpenAI expects national security work, at home and with partner countries, to be a growing part of its business. The company did not say when Driscoll would start or whom he would report to.