The Pentagon’s appointment of Gavin Kliger, a former DOGE associate with a history of promoting extremist content, as Chief Data Officer places an individual with controversial views at the helm of the military’s most ambitious AI projects, intensifying scrutiny over ethical oversight and the direction of defense AI strategy.
The U.S. Department of Defense has appointed Gavin Kliger as its new Chief Data Officer, a role that positions him at the center of the Pentagon’s most advanced artificial intelligence initiatives, confirmed by Reuters. In a social media post, the Pentagon stated that Kliger’s new position “places him at the center of the Department’s most ambitious AI efforts,” focusing on “day-to-day alignment and execution of the Department’s AI projects, working directly with America’s frontier AI labs to support the warfighter.”
Kliger, a computer scientist, previously aided billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts to overhaul federal operations last year. However, his social media activity between October 2024 and
