OpenAI has hired former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll into a newly created national security AI role.

As Senior Counselor for National Security Modernization, he will advise governments and companies on using AI for national and cyber security, especially among U.S. allies.

The move comes 2 months after he quit the Army’s top civilian job amid friction with Pete Hegseth, who had removed several officers tied to his modernization drive.

He earlier deployed to Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division and later worked in private equity.

It follows OpenAI’s 2026 Pentagon deal, whose limits on surveillance and autonomous weapons prompted hardware leader Caitlin Kalinowski to quit over a rushed process.