Feinberg Orders Major Overhaul
Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg has directed a major overhaul of the military’s artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The move includes a reorganization that some former officials worry could be seen as a demotion for the Pentagon’s main AI office.
CDAO Subordinated to R&D Chief
Feinberg’s August 14 memo initiates three major reviews within the next 60 to 120 days and subordinates the Chief Digital & AI Office (CDAO) to the Pentagon’s new R&D chief, Emil Michael, „effective immediately.” CDAO previously reported directly to Feinberg.
Transition Timeline Unclear
While a defense official assured that CDAO will continue its current statutory responsibilities without interruption during the transition, the memo doesn’t specify how long „this transition” will last or what’s next. Michael has 120 days to deliver a recommended path forward for the AI-driven data-sharing systems Advana and the Maven Smart System.
Directive 5015.98 Under Review
The memo also tasks Michael with recommending „updates” to DoD Directive 5015.98, the founding charter outlining CDAO’s authorities and responsibilities, within three months. Additionally, the R&D chief has 60 days to deliver a comprehensive DoD AI strategy aligned with President Trump’s AI Action Plan.
Potential Benefits and Risks
One former official suggested the move could be advantageous if it signals a more robust institutionalization of AI within the Department. „If this signals the mainstreaming of AI within Department processes and functions, that is great,” the ex-official said. „Industry is already mainstreaming AI, [so] it is appropriate for the Department to do so as well.”
However, the same former official expressed concern that moving AI under R&D „seems to fly in the face” of the need for rapid deployment on a wide scale. „The Department should be scrambling to implement the technology across workflows in every warfighting function,” they said.
Concerns About Prioritization
Other former officials argued that AI is still new to most of the military and requires special treatment, including direct access to top leadership levels. Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, who led Project Maven and the Joint AI Center, said, „An administrative reorganization like this does not suggest that AI adoption across the DoD is as urgent as senior leaders have suggested.”
Shanahan also raised concerns about CDAO’s connections to the operational Combatant Commands (COCOMs) and whether the reorganization would affect those relationships.
Scaling AI Adoption at Risk?
Michael Horowitz, a former DoD policy official, agreed that folding CDAO under R&D seemed to be a step backward from deploying AI at scale across the armed services. „Demoting AI within the Pentagon seems pretty risky at this point in history,” Horowitz said. „The success of this move will ride on the extent to which AI has achieved escape velocity within the services [already] … [But] the Pentagon’s already been too slow when it comes to scaling AI adoption.”
