THE ESSENTIALS IN 30 SECONDS

  • Driscoll takes the newly created title of Senior Counselor for National Security Modernization at OpenAI.
  • He will advise OpenAI leadership and outside partners, including US allies, on using AI for national security and cybersecurity.
  • He left the Army post in late August after reported tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

OpenAI has hired Dan Driscoll, who served as the 26th US Secretary of the Army, for a newly created position: Senior Counselor for National Security Modernization. The company announced the appointment on Monday evening, according to Breaking Defense, and The Decoder notes that The Wall Street Journal was first to report the hire.

What the role covers

Based on OpenAI's announcement as summarized by both outlets, Driscoll will advise the company's senior leadership and external partners on how AI can reinforce national security and cyber defense. Part of the job is working with governments, industry, academia and US allies on responsible use of the technology, and part is helping OpenAI's own teams understand what security institutions actually need in practice.

Driscoll has argued that national security requirements are changing faster than at any point in the past 50 years, and that AI can help by cutting paperwork and speeding up decisions. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said the hire would support American leadership and the spread of what he calls "democratic AI." The reports do not say whom Driscoll reports to.

Background and timing

An Iraq War veteran with a venture capital background, Driscoll led the Army through a modernization drive that Breaking Defense says included the Army Transformation Initiative and a low-cost interceptor program. He resigned in late August 2026, following reports of strained relations with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to his LinkedIn profile, cited by Breaking Defense, he has since advised counter-drone company Perennial Autonomy and public affairs firm Watchtower Strategy.

The Decoder describes Driscoll as close to Vice President JD Vance and on good terms with members of both parties in Congress, which could matter for OpenAI if the balance of power shifts after the midterm elections.

Why it matters for AI policy

The hire extends OpenAI's move into defense. Earlier this year the Pentagon clashed with Anthropic after the company refused to drop limits on how its Claude models could be used by the military, and it shifted classified-network work toward other providers, including OpenAI. A former service secretary on staff gives OpenAI direct experience of how the Pentagon buys and deploys technology, and is likely to help it compete for contracts and weigh in on rules for military and intelligence use of AI.