OpenAI hires Dan Driscoll, who resigned as Army secretary in August, as senior counselor for national security modernization with a brief to work with allies

The brief of the new post, in Driscoll's words

According to the release, he will 'work with OpenAI teams and leaders across governments, industry, academia, and allied institutions to advance practical modernization initiatives that support the buildout of democratic AI,' and help internal teams 'understand the operational needs of global national security institutions.' Driscoll said national security requirements 'are changing faster than at any time in the past half century,' and that AI would let the military 'keep pace by cutting through paperwork, making sense of more information, and getting the right answer to the right person faster.'

CEO Sam Altman said he was excited to welcome Driscoll 'to strengthen American leadership' and to work with other countries to 'spread the adoption of democratic AI.' A brief that foregrounds allies and responsible use signals a government business widening from deals with the US government toward allied markets. Driscoll himself said he was joining 'to help the United States and our allies put this technology to work responsibly, for the people who keep us safe.'

From Army transformation to an AI company

As Army secretary, Driscoll drove the Army Transformation Initiative, the Army's drone and counter-drone marketplaces, and the procurement overhaul known as Operation Jailbreak. He resigned in late August after months of reported strain with Secretary Hegseth, and has since advised the counter-drone company Perennial Autonomy and the public-affairs firm Watchtower Strategy. The move is a revolving door: the official who led the mass buy of uncrewed systems joins an AI company that sits among the department's suppliers.

OpenAI's government business after Anthropic's exclusion

OpenAI won a prototype Other Transaction agreement worth up to $200 million from the Pentagon's Chief Digital and AI Office in June 2025, and approved ChatGPT models became available on the GenAI.mil platform in August this year. Breaking Defense reports that after the dispute in which the military sought unrestricted access to Claude and Anthropic refused, the department shifted its classified-network AI integrations toward other providers, including OpenAI. The contrast between a company that kept its distance from the Pentagon over usage terms and one that hires a former secretary to expand with allies is hardening into the shape of the defence AI market.