Why It Matters
The Pentagon's key body for coordinating responsible artificial intelligence has no charter, is at risk of going dark again, and sits at the center of a new audit, Artificial Intelligence: Actions and Opportunities to Implement Responsible Use in DOD, published Oct. 14 by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
As of February 2026, seven of the Responsible AI Division's 10 authorized positions were vacant, and GAO says staffing shortages have hindered the Chief Digital and AI Officer's ability to take additional actions to support Responsible AI implementation.
The Big Picture
The national security stakes behind the report are not abstract: the Department of Defense's own framing holds that U.S. adversaries and competitors are investing heavily in AI and AI-enabled capabilities in ways that threaten global stability, and the department issued a new AI strategy in 2026 that emphasizes speed in development.
DOD established AI Ethical Principles and the concept of Responsible AI to ensure the safety and trustworthiness of AI systems, defined six tenets to guide implementation, and, as it speeds AI development, must do so responsibly so that warfighters can adopt AI quickly and confidently.
The Office of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO), through its Responsible AI Division, created the Responsible AI Working Council as the working-level body to coordinate that effort across the department. The council did not meet from late 2024 until August 2025, and officials from four DOD components told GAO they faced implementation challenges during that gap that collaboration would have helped address. Six of the 10 surveyed DOD components said sharing Responsible AI resources and best practices would benefit their efforts.
Although the council resumed meetings in August 2025, GAO found it remains at risk of lapsing again because it has no charter defining roles, responsibilities, or meeting frequency, and another lapse could leave the department without the collaborative capacity to resolve issues such as inconsistent interpretation of guidance across components.
The study was mandated by a provision in Senate Report 118-188, accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, which directed GAO to review DOD's Responsible AI implementation and oversight.
CDAO officials said that as of February 2026, only three of the Responsible AI Division's 10 authorized positions were filled, and GAO said staffing shortages have hindered the division's ability to take additional actions to support Responsible AI implementation. GAO also said DOD has not fully addressed its earlier recommendations on AI collaboration and workforce needs.
The Bottom Line
The Department of Defense received both of GAO's new recommendations for executive action and concurred with each via email.
Recommendation 1, directed to the Secretary of Defense, calls for ensuring that the CDAO develops and issues a charter for the Responsible AI Working Council that defines roles and responsibilities, includes the Responsible AI Division and DOD components, and specifies meeting frequency; its status is open, with no actions yet taken or planned confirmed.
Recommendation 2, also directed to the Secretary of Defense, calls for ensuring that the CDAO addresses the Responsible AI Division's workforce needs; it is likewise open, with no confirmed actions taken or planned.
GAO also raised a matter for congressional consideration, urging Congress to direct DOD to implement open prior recommendations on AI collaboration, including defining the roles and responsibilities of organizations collaborating on AI activities, and on workforce, including assigning responsibility and establishing a timeline to fully define and identify DOD's AI workforce; that matter is open, with no actions confirmed.
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