A review of ten selected projects found uneven implementation of the Pentagon’s Responsible AI principles, along with staffing shortages and coordination lapses.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that staffing shortages and coordination gaps limited the Pentagon’s ability to oversee AI as the military pushes for faster adoption.
The Department of Defense’s (DoD) January 2026 AI strategy called for faster adoption across the military. But GAO’s October report found that the Pentagon has not fully implemented its Responsible AI policies. Those policies guide how military organizations develop, test, and use AI so personnel can trust the systems they adopt.
As of February 2026, the Pentagon’s Responsible AI Division filled only three of the ten authorized positions. Officials told GAO that the shortage limited their ability to monitor military AI projects and check whether risk-management guidance was working.
DoD also had unfinished work under its 2022 plan to implement Responsible AI policies: 29 of 64 tasks remained incomplete as of April 2026. Among the gaps, the Pentagon’s AI office had not developed measures to assess how fully military organizations were applying those policies.
Staffing shortages hinder oversight work
The Pentagon’s Office of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer sets AI policy for the DoD. Military services and defense agencies apply that policy to their projects, with testing and monitoring support from the office’s Responsible AI Division.
Officials from the office told GAO that staffing shortages hindered their ability to:
- Monitor whether military AI projects followed Responsible AI principles.
- Check whether the Pentagon’s AI risk checklists and guidance were effective.
The officials said they were unlikely to fill the division’s vacancies while the Pentagon’s research and engineering leadership reorganized the office. The office also had to align existing AI guidance with DoD’s January 2026 strategy for faster military AI adoption.
Projects applied responsible AI practices unevenly
GAO examined ten selected military AI projects and found gaps in how some applied the Pentagon’s policies for responsible AI use.
For one Navy project, officials said the requirements defining what the AI system should do did not align with the Pentagon’s Responsible AI principles. Plans to check that alignment were still being developed.
For an Air Force project, officials said suppliers provided too little information about their proprietary AI models, including the data and methods behind them. That lack of information made it harder to assess whether the project followed responsible AI practices.
GAO examined one project from each of ten military services and defense agencies. The results do not establish how common these gaps are across the Pentagon.
Coordination council went months without meeting
The Pentagon’s Responsible AI Working Council did not meet from late 2024 until August 2025 because its organizing team prioritized other assignments, officials told GAO. The council coordinates responsible AI work across military services and defense agencies.
Air Force officials said they struggled to obtain practices from other military organizations while building their own AI oversight arrangements during the lapse. Navy officials also wanted help from other organizations to validate their approach.
As of the report’s publication, GAO said the council resumed meetings in August 2025 but still lacked a charter defining responsibilities and a meeting schedule. DoD agreed to create one, but GAO has not yet confirmed completion.
GAO warned that another lapse could leave the Pentagon less able to resolve future problems.
DoD agrees to changes
GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense ensure the Chief Digital and AI Officer addresses the division’s staffing needs and issues a council charter assigning responsibilities and setting meeting frequency.
GAO also asked Congress to consider directing DoD to complete earlier recommendations on AI coordination and workforce planning.
DoD agreed with both new recommendations. GAO’s public tracking page lists both as open, pending confirmation of the department’s actions.
