The Pentagon's Chief Digital and AI Officer (CDAO) is now authorized to demand data from any department component. Denials must be justified to the Undersecretary of War within seven days, effectively breaking down long-standing data silos by creating a high-level, rapid escalation path.
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The Pentagon's new AI strategy explicitly states that military exercises and experiments failing to adequately integrate AI will be targeted for budget cuts. This threat of financial penalty creates a powerful, top-down incentive for reluctant bureaucratic elements to adopt new technologies.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) creates an "AI Futures Steering Committee" co-chaired by top defense officials. Its explicit purpose is to formulate policy for evaluating, adopting, and mitigating risks of AGI, and to forecast adversary AGI capabilities.
The appointment of an AI czar follows a historical US pattern of creating such roles during crises like WWI or the oil crisis. It's a mechanism to bypass slow government bureaucracies for fast-moving industries, signaling that the government views AI with the same urgency as a national emergency requiring swift, coordinated action.
The military lacks the "creative destruction" of the private sector and is constrained by rigid institutional boundaries. Real technological change, like AI adoption, can only happen when intense civilian leaders pair with open-minded military counterparts to form a powerful coalition for change.
As AI agents proliferate across departments, a new role is emerging to manage them holistically. This person must understand the entire organization to ensure agents communicate effectively and workflows are cohesive, preventing the creation of new digital silos.
The Department of War's secure "GenAI.mil" tool was developed in just 60 days by a tiger team of ex-Big Tech engineers. It achieved massive adoption, reaching one-third of the 3-million-person organization within a month of launch.
The new strategy directs the CDAO to act as a "wartime CDAO" to eliminate blockers like lengthy authorization processes. A monthly "barrier removal board" is being established with the authority to waive non-statutory requirements, mirroring the rapid risk assessment seen in actual combat.
The Department of War's top AI priority is "applied AI." It consciously avoids building its own foundation models, recognizing it cannot compete with private sector investment. Instead, its strategy is to adapt commercial AI for specific defense use cases.
The Department of Defense (DoD) doesn't need a "wake-up call" about AI's importance; it needs to "get out of bed." The critical failure is not a lack of awareness but deep-seated institutional inertia that prevents the urgent action and implementation required to build capability.
Shift from departments staffed with people to a single owner who directs AI agents, automations, and robotics to achieve outcomes. This structure maximizes leverage and efficiency, replacing the old model of "throwing bodies" at problems.
