The U.S. Army is establishing Detachment 201: The Army’s Executive Innovation Corps, a new initiative designed to fuse cutting-edge tech expertise with military innovation. On June 13, 2025, the Army will officially swear in four tech leaders.
Det. 201 is an effort to recruit senior tech executives to serve part-time in the Army Reserve as senior advisors. In this role they will work on targeted projects to help guide rapid and scalable tech solutions to complex problems. By bringing private-sector know-how into uniform, Det. 201 is supercharging efforts like the Army Transformation Initiative, which aims to make the force leaner, smarter, and more lethal.
Who are these new “soldiers”?
We’re talking about big names. People who you usually see on the covers of Wired or presenting next-generation AI at OpenAI’s Dev Day:
Shyam Sankar, CTO of Palantir – the company that’s been working with defense for years and is currently involved in a $1 billion AI project with the U.S. Army. Sankar sees this experience as a way to “repay” the opportunities that the U.S. has given him and his family.
Andrew Bosworth, CTO of Meta – who oversees the entire AR/VR and wearable hardware sector. Since Meta changed its policy to collaborate with the military, he’s been ramping up physical training in preparation for the military fitness test. Push-ups included.
Kevin Weil, CPO of OpenAI – a developer, designer, and ultramarathon runner. He says a 2-mile run doesn’t scare him, though he admits, “real soldiers will kick our butts.”
Bob McGrew, former Chief Research Officer at OpenAI – now at Thinking Machines Lab, he’ll be key in guiding strategic choices on advanced AI and security. The goal is to use his experience to design explainable, reliable systems that align with democratic values.
Their swearing-in is just the start of a bigger mission to inspire more tech pros to serve without leaving their careers, showing the next generation how to make a difference in uniform.
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