OpenAI hires former US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll as national security counselor

The appointment

OpenAI has named Dan Driscoll to a newly created post as senior counselor for national security and modernization, the company said on Monday, 2 November. In the role he is to advise OpenAI on how advanced artificial intelligence can strengthen national security and cybersecurity. He will work with OpenAI teams as well as with representatives from governments, science and industry. The company said the aim is to push practical modernization initiatives that speed up the building of democratic AI.

Driscoll's remit and his case for AI

Driscoll is also to advise partners in the public and private sectors on how AI can be used to strengthen national security, and to help ensure the world builds AI that supports democratic principles. In a statement he said he is joining OpenAI to help the United States and its allies use the technology responsibly for the people who keep the country safe. He argued that soldiers and other security personnel deserve the best available tools, and that AI could help process information and cut administrative workload. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman wrote in the company's blog post that the US has an exceptional opportunity to work with other countries and spread democratic AI.

Background and departure

Driscoll was the 26th US Army Secretary. President Donald Trump personally nominated him, and the Senate confirmed him in 2025 at age 38, making him the youngest office holder in the post. He resigned in August after repeated conflicts with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. Bloomberg reported earlier that the relationship with Hegseth had been strained before the resignation, including disagreements over personnel and leadership decisions. Driscoll is described as a close friend of Vice President JD Vance from their time at Yale Law School. One report, from stern.de, calls him a former US defence undersecretary, while the other sources describe him as the former Army Secretary.