The Pentagon has named Cameron Stanley as Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced. In this role, Stanley will lead the department’s efforts to accelerate the adoption of data, analytics, and AI to generate decision advantage for the military.

Stanley, an Air Force veteran, most recently served as National Security Transformation Lead at Amazon Web Services. He previously held positions as Chief Data Officer for the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security from 2022 to 2024, and Chief of the Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team (Project Maven) from 2021 to 2022, where he oversaw the rapid development and deployment of AI algorithms and data-driven solutions for warfighter outcomes.

Hegseth said Stanley and his team will act as catalysts for change while attracting additional technology and academic experts to the department. The CDAO office will focus on speed in AI deployment, defining implementation metrics for key projects and reporting progress monthly. The office will also work to remove barriers to data sharing, authority to operate, and contracting, treating these as operational risks rather than routine bureaucratic obstacles.

Stanley’s mandate includes expanding AI computing power on military installations, unlocking data assets across the department for operational use, and advancing the GenAI.mil platform.