- Pentagon AI users have surged to 1.5 million users in one year
- Defense leaders have pushed AI deeper into the battlefield and operational systems
- DOW has accelerated efforts to scale autonomous drones and AI tools
The Pentagon’s artificial intelligence adoption has surged over the past year as efforts to embed AI into operational decision-making, enterprise systems and battlefield technologies accelerate, the Department of War said Wednesday.
Speaking during a Special Operations Forces Week panel discussion, Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering, shared that DOW’s AI user base has climbed from roughly 80,000 personnel to approximately 1.5 million users — a 1,775 percent increase within a year.
“You can see that every month, we have a new sort of amazing advancement in AI,” the 2026 Wash100 Award recipient said. “How we translate that down to the Department of War and to the warfighter is a fairly new concept.”
The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Navy Summit on Aug. 27 will feature multiple sessions focused on AI, including “Building the Golden Fleet with Software: AI, Digital Engineering, and the New Shipbuilding Stack,” which will examine how the Navy is integrating software-driven modernization and autonomous technologies into future fleet operations. Register now!
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How Is DOW Embedding AI Into Warfighting Operations?
According to Michael, who is also War Department chief technology officer, the DOW’s AI strategy spans three interconnected layers: enterprise operations, intelligence functions and warfighting systems.
He noted that the warfighting level remains the department’s primary focus as military leaders seek to shorten decision timelines and improve battlefield responsiveness.
“[We’re] embedding [AI] into our systems, so that warfighters can use it to be more precise, to be faster, to make better decisions,” Michael said. “And, frankly be as lethal as possible.”
The Pentagon’s AI expansion has accelerated since War Secretary Pete Hegseth, a two-time Wash100 awardee, released the department’s new AI strategy earlier this year. The initiative seeks to remove bureaucratic barriers, increase experimentation and rapidly operationalize frontier AI technologies for defense missions.
Among the department’s flagship programs is GenAI.mil, DOW’s enterprise AI environment that provides personnel access to large language models and AI agents. The platform has expanded rapidly since launching in late 2025, reaching more than 1.3 million users and supporting hundreds of thousands of AI agents within months.
AI-enabled modernization and battlefield connectivity will be major topics at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Army Summit on June 18. One featured discussion, “From Data to Decision: How AI is Transforming the Army Today,” will examine how the service is scaling AI initiatives across command-and-control, tactical edge and enterprise environments. Register now!
Drone Dominance Program Highlights Pentagon Push for Faster AI Deployment
Michael pointed to the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program as an example of how AI is reshaping operational capabilities and acquisition strategy. The initiative includes $1.1 billion allocated to procure 200,000 small lethal drones by 2027.
According to the under secretary, DOW intentionally expanded competition among drone vendors to accelerate innovation and avoid relying on a limited number of suppliers.
“In the past, there were only a handful of companies authorized to sell drones to DOW,” Michael said. “So, we kind of blew all that up.”
At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Air and Space Summit on July 30, military and industry leaders will discuss AI-enabled situational awareness, multi-domain orchestration and machine learning applications supporting air and space superiority. Register now!
Pentagon Turns to Patriotism to Compete for AI Talent
While the DOW cannot directly compete with commercial tech compensation, Michael noted that the department is recruiting AI talent by emphasizing national security impact and public service.
“What we’re trying to do is create sort of a … more patriotic point of view, or option, for kids coming out of college or out of grad school, ” Michael said, noting that DOW has already hired several hundred recent graduates and expects to bring on hundreds more by the end of the year.
