OpenAI Names Dan Driscoll National Security Counselor
The former Army Secretary will advise OpenAI leadership on applying advanced AI to national security and cybersecurity.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in People
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OpenAI appointed Dan Driscoll as senior counselor for national security modernization, a newly created role. Driscoll, a former U.S. Secretary of the Army, resigned earlier this year after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Why it matters
The appointment signals OpenAI's push to position its advanced AI for government and defense use within the United States. It also brings a former Army leader with recent high-level diplomatic experience into the company's policy orbit.
No quantitative corporate metrics were disclosed in the announcement. The source does not specify headcount, budget, or contract values tied to the new role.
The players
Dan Driscoll
Driscoll is a former U.S. Secretary of the Army who previously took part in diplomatic efforts tapped by President Trump to end the war in Ukraine.
OpenAI
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence company best known for developing the ChatGPT chatbot and its family of large language models.
Pete Hegseth
Hegseth is the U.S. Secretary of Defense, with whom Driscoll had months of tension before his resignation earlier this year.
The details
OpenAI said Driscoll will advise its leadership on how advanced AI can enhance national security and cybersecurity, collaborating with external partners including government officials, industry leaders, and academic institutions. The company said he will also advance practical initiatives for what it terms 'democratic AI.'
Timeline
Earlier in 2026: Driscoll resigned after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
November 2, 2026: OpenAI announced Driscoll's appointment as senior counselor.
People Moves
The hire fits a broader pattern of leading AI developers bringing former national security officials into advisory roles as they seek closer ties with the U.S. defense establishment. It follows a period in which Driscoll's departure from the Pentagon highlighted friction within the national security leadership.
For most readers, the appointment does not change how they access or pay for OpenAI products. Its practical relevance lies in how the company's government-facing work could shape future AI policy and security standards.
The takeaway
Senior hires like this one show how AI companies are building relationships with government security institutions. Watching who gets appointed to such roles can signal where a company's policy priorities are heading.
Further reading
Explore more business people moves coverage for context on executive and advisory appointments.
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