War Department SWAT Team Formed to Break AI Barriers
The War Department has created a specialized barrier-removal SWAT team to speed the development and deployment of artificial intelligence across the military, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced, setting new benchmarks for AI velocity and addressing institutional hurdles cited within the department.
Secretary Hegseth unveiled the team during remarks at a SpaceX facility in Starbase, Texas, where he also announced Cameron Stanley as the next Pentagon Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer.
Pentagon Focus on Speed and Scale
The newly established SWAT team sits under the Office of the Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering. It will have authority to waive nonstatutory requirements and escalate procedural issues that slow AI progress to the deputy secretary level. Hegseth emphasized that traditional barriers to data sharing, testing and evaluation, contracting and authority to operate are now treated as operational risks rather than mere bureaucratic slowdowns.
Stanley, an Air Force veteran with private sector experience, will lead the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) team in defining AI deployment velocity metrics within 30 days. Those metrics are intended to serve as targets for pace-setting projects across the department.
Expanding AI Infrastructure and Talent
The initiative extends beyond policy changes. The War Department plans to invest in expanded computing power on military installations and leverage private capital to support AI workloads. It also intends to draw on industry and academic talent through modified hiring authorities and partnerships.
Hegseth noted the department will pursue access to advanced computing infrastructure from central data centers to tactical edge environments, aligning with broader Defense Department efforts to accelerate AI adoption and maintain decision advantage.
Data Access and Responsible AI
A key element of the new effort is unlocking the department’s data assets. Hegseth said that service and component heads must provide data catalogs to the CDAO within 30 days, breaking down siloed data that has hindered AI advancement.
On responsible AI, the secretary clarified the department’s approach focuses on mission-centric systems that support warfighting objectives and comply with applicable laws.
Broader Context
The barrier-removal team parallels larger Defense Department strategies to accelerate AI adoption outlined in the Pentagon’s 2023 Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Adoption Strategy, which emphasized speed, interoperability and governance to maintain decision superiority.
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