Cameron Stanley, a defense technology executive, has emerged as the top candidate for the chief digital and artificial intelligence officer, or CDAO, position at the Department of War, DefenseScoop reported Wednesday.
According to sources, Stanley could assume the role in January.
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What’s Behind the Leadership Change at the Pentagon CDAO Office?
The news comes nearly a month after Douglas Matty stepped down as CDAO to focus on the Trump administration’s Golden Dome for America next-generation missile defense shield project. In April 2025, Matty took on the CDAO position to oversee efforts to accelerate DOW’s adoption of AI, analytics and data to enable decision advantage on the battlefield.
Andrew Mapes, most recently acting principal deputy CDAO, has been serving as acting chief of the Pentagon’s AI office since Matty’s departure.
Who Is Cameron Stanley?
Stanley currently serves as national security digital transformation lead at Amazon Web Services, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Before joining AWS, he served as AI development and oversight lead and head of Project Maven within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
The U.S. Air Force Academy graduate also served as U.S. Southern Command’s senior science and tech adviser and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s liaison to the U.K.
