OpenAI Hires Ex-Army Secretary Driscoll for National Security
A former Army secretary who stepped down after reported tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is now moving to an AI lab. OpenAI has hired Dan Driscoll into a newly created post.
A veteran who pushed the Army to modernize
Driscoll is an Iraq war veteran. He stepped down as Army secretary earlier this year, after months of reported tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Reuters reported the tensions.
In office, he pushed to modernize the U.S. military. According to an earlier Army announcement, that included wider access to drone and counter-drone technologies among U.S. allies.
In November 2025 he also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. They discussed a peace plan put forward by the U.S. to end the war with Russia, according to a statement from Ukraine's Presidential Office.
What he says AI can do for security work
"National security requirements are changing faster than at any time in the past fifty years," Driscoll said. He said AI could cut paperwork, speed up the handling of information and get answers to national security staff faster.
His updated LinkedIn profile also lists the new position.
An allied focus at OpenAI
His title is senior counselor for national security modernization. OpenAI said he will advise its leadership on AI in national security and cybersecurity, and a main task is to help U.S. allies adopt advanced AI responsibly.
CEO Sam Altman said the U.S. has "an extraordinary opportunity to work with other countries to spread the adoption of democratic AI." Altman added that the hire would strengthen U.S. leadership in this field.
Driscoll will work with officials, industry, universities and allied organizations on what the company calls democratic AI. Inside the company, he will help teams see what national security institutions need in practice.
His work builds on the company's Daybreak program for cyber resilience and the protection of essential services.
Our view
The hire puts a former senior defense official inside a company that says it wants to help U.S. allies adopt AI. The role is advisory, and the announcement gives no budget, team size or reporting line, so its real weight inside OpenAI is unknown. The first concrete sign would be a named allied partnership or a program that runs through his office.
Source: CNBC