The Pentagon has appointed computer scientist Gavin Kliger as its new chief data officer, placing a former member of Elon Musk’s government overhaul team, DOGE, at the helm of the military’s most sensitive artificial intelligence (AI) projects, news agency Reuters has reported. The announcement was made via social media and it comes at a moment as the Department of War pivots toward “frontier” AI technologies to support American troops on the battlefield.
Read full post by Department of War CTO on Gavin Kliger’s appointment
How Gavin Kliger will help US military’s AI strategy
In his new role, Kliger will manage the day-to-day execution of the Department’s AI initiatives. According to the Pentagon, he will work directly with major AI labs to ensure technology is ready for “the warfighter”. The move follows a period of significant upheaval in the Pentagon’s tech partnerships.
First is a breakup with Anthropic.
After a weeks-long dispute over safety “guardrails”, the Trump administration recently decided to ‘replace’ Anthropic, with OpenAI. On Thursday, the department labelled Anthropic a “supply-chain risk”. The conflict between the Pentagon and Anthropic centered on how AI can be used in combat. Anthropic has maintained strict bans on using its “Claude” AI for autonomous weapons systems and mass surveillance programs.
Gavin Kliger: A ‘controversial’ hiring
According to the Reuters report, Kliger’s appointment is already drawing scrutiny due to his online activity. Between late 2024 and early 2025, Kliger used social media to amplify content from Nick Fuentes – known as far-right political commentator and Andrew Tate.
