OpenAI Names Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to National Security Role

OpenAI said former Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will join the company as a national security adviser as it pursues government AI work.

Driscoll will serve as Senior Counselor for National Security Modernization, a newly created role. He will advise public- and private-sector partners on AI and national security and help OpenAI teams understand the operational needs of national security institutions. “The people who serve deserve the very best tools we can put in their hands,” Driscoll said.

OpenAI announced the appointment Monday, Nov. 2, two months after Driscoll’s stated last full day as secretary on Sept. 2. He said Sept. 1 that the following day would be his last full day in the Army post.

The appointment comes as OpenAI pursues several government AI initiatives. On June 16, 2025, the company announced its first partnership under OpenAI for Government: a Defense Department pilot through the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. The contract had a $200 million ceiling for prototypes involving administrative work and cyber defense. The ceiling does not mean the full amount was spent.

On Feb. 9, 2026, OpenAI said it would bring a custom ChatGPT product to GenAI.mil for the Defense Department’s unclassified work. On Feb. 28, the company announced an agreement with the Pentagon to deploy AI systems in classified environments. OpenAI described the classified deployment as cloud-only and said it includes restrictions on mass domestic surveillance, autonomous weapons and high-stakes automated decisions.

OpenAI also appointed retired U.S. Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone to its board and Safety and Security Committee in 2024.

American University professor Gwanhoo Lee said Driscoll’s appointment could raise questions about procurement fairness when AI companies hire former senior government officials. “If that procurement is based upon relationships rather than merits and strengths of technology, that puts us at risk,” Lee said.