CDAO Archives

U.S. Army Maj. Steven McPherson, a joint doctrine team chief with the National Guard Bureau, looks at the interface of the Maven Smart System in Arlington, Virginia Feb. 20. McPherson was in a class to learn the MSS and its capability to process vast amounts of data from weather to troop locations. (U.S. Army Photo by Master Sgt. Whitney Hughes)

DOD components face ‘aggressive’ timeline for Maven Smart System transition

A March 9 memo sets an ambitious deadline for the Pentagon to make MSS a formal program of record by the end of this fiscal year.

2 days ago By Brandi Vincent

Pentagon preparing for drone swarm ‘crucible’

The Swarm Forge initiative is one of the “pace-setting” projects that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for earlier this year.

Mar 31, 2026 By Jon Harper

DOD wants AI-enabled coding tools for ‘tens of thousands’ of users in its developer workforce

The products would enable AI-driven code generation, optimization, debugging, support and refinement at the edge.

Feb 26, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

The Pentagon (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Marisol Walker)

CDAO invests in AI-enabled translation for military-wide use

The Army’s Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation marks one of the first military components reporting impacts from the platform.

Feb 3, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at Starbase,Texas, on Jan 12, 2026. (DOD photo posted on X)

‘Accelerate like hell’: Hegseth moves to reshape DOD’s AI and tech hubs

Pete Hegseth’s speech and three accompanying memorandums released Monday reveal the Trump administration’s latest, fast-moving and multifaceted vision to overhaul the Pentagon's technology enterprise.

Jan 13, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

A passenger plane flies above the Pentagon, as seen from the top of the Washington Monument on January 5, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)

Cameron Stanley emerges as frontrunner to be next Pentagon CDAO

Multiple sources suggested the Project Maven alum and AWS executive could start in that capacity sometime this month.

Jan 7, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

Aerial view of the Pentagon building in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

DOD maps out plan for new enterprise command-and-control program office, C2 suite

This new program office would essentially fuse multiple DOD elements that have come to fruition since the late 2010s.

Jan 6, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

A poster at the Pentagon, Dec. 12, 2025, lets employees know that a new artificial intelligence tool is available to use at the War Department, and that employees are highly encouraged to use it. (Credit: C. Todd Lopez, DOW)

The era of GenAI.mil is here. Users have mixed reactions and many questions.

Last week, DOD unveiled the new platform to supply industry-built AI assets to almost its entire workforce.

Dec 18, 2025 By Brandi Vincent Drew F. Lawrence

Dr. Douglas Matty, then-Army Artificial Intelligence Task Force Director, spoke to Association of the United States Army annual meeting attendees during the October 13, 2021 Army Advanced Technologies (Cloud and Data) Warriors Corner event at Washington, D.C.’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Photo by Edward Loomis)

Pentagon AI chief departing to work on Golden Dome effort

Principal Deputy CDAO Andrew Mapes will lead the Defense Department’s AI hub in an acting capacity until a new CDAO is hired.

Dec 17, 2025 By Brandi Vincent

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael tour multi-domain autonomous displays in the courtyard of the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., July 16, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)

An early look at the Pentagon’s plan to deliver AI at scale under Trump

Undersecretary of Defense Emil Michael shared details about the DOD's forthcoming pursuits to accelerate AI for in-office functions and modern warfare.

Dec 8, 2025 By Brandi Vincent