What Happened?

The Pentagon is racing to build AI into all of its military work, and the small office meant to make sure those tools are used safely is mostly empty. As of February, seven of the 10 jobs in the Defense Department’s Responsible AI Division were vacant, a Government Accountability Office report found Oct. 14, according to a Legis1 review of the audit. ​

The department’s council for coordinating that work also didn’t meet from late 2024 until August 2025. It has met again since, but it still has no written charter saying who’s in charge or how often it must meet, so it “is at risk of lapsing again,” the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

The Pentagon has six principles, or tenets, meant to guide safe and responsible use of AI, and the gaps show up in practice. GAO asked 10 Defense Department offices about one AI project each. Four said none of their project’s requirements matched those tenets, and three didn’t know whether the system’s results would be checked after it went into use.

The office has also fallen behind on its own plan: 29 of 64 tasks in its responsible AI roadmap were unfinished as of April, Military Times reported. Officials said they’re unlikely to fill the open jobs while the office is being reorganized.

Both Sides, Now

Pentagon leaders say speed is the priority. A January strategy calls for the military to “integrate AI across all military functions,” Aviation Week reported, and the department says rivals are investing heavily in AI. Officials told GAO the council’s meetings were delayed by other priorities, including new guidance on generative AI.

Some lawmakers and experts say safety can’t wait. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said “Congress must do its job and provide balanced oversight, standards, and rules of the road,” and Owen Daniels of Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology told Military Times that “responsible AI should be considered the same as operationally effective AI.”

What Happens Next?

GAO recommended that the defense secretary issue a charter for the council and staff up the responsible AI office, and the department agreed by email. GAO also urged Congress to order the Pentagon to carry out earlier recommendations on assigning AI responsibilities and planning its AI workforce. All three remain open.

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