OpenAI Recruits Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to Expand Defense AI Business

OpenAI has hired former US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll as senior counselor for national security modernization, according to the Financial Times.
Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran and a close associate of Vice President JD Vance, is expected to help expand AI adoption across US and allied defense institutions.
During his government service, Driscoll advocated faster adoption of military technology. He later resigned amid reported tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The appointment follows OpenAI's reported agreement to deploy its models in classified Pentagon environments after negotiations between the military and Anthropic broke down.
The move underscores the growing strategic importance of defense contracts for frontier AI developers.
However, the appointment itself does not establish additional contract revenue. Military AI deployments will also face demanding requirements involving security, reliability and operational oversight.