As the U.S. Army races to modernize for warfare that is increasingly defined by autonomous systems and artificial intelligence, it is recruiting some of the country’s most influential technology leaders into uniform.
The Army this week added three more technology executives into the Executive Innovation Corps, more commonly known as Detachment 201, a newly created unit intended to bridge the gap between the commercial sector and the military.
Dane Knecht, the chief technology officer of Cloudflare; Sam Pallara, the managing director and chief technology officer of Sutter Hill Ventures; and Serkan Piantino, the co-founder of Facebook AI Research and former vice president of products at Reddit, were commissioned into the Army in a Wednesday ceremony.
The trio was commissioned by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia.
They are the second batch of leaders to join the unit, which was launched in June 2025 with the direct commissioning of four executives.
Piantino said the program offers technology leaders a chance to apply their expertise to pressing military issues.
“As the character of warfare evolves, the armed forces must rapidly adapt to new domains and prepare for continued technological change,” he said in an Army statement. “Those who have the experience to contribute to that mission have a duty to offer their service.”
Detachment 201 was created to allow senior tech leaders to help the Army innovate by serving as advisors in the reserves.
The first cohort included Lt. Cols. Shyam Sankar, chief technology officer for Palantir; Andrew Bosworth, chief technology officer of Meta; Kevin Weil, chief product officer of OpenAI; and Bob McGrew, advisor at Thinking Machines Lab and former chief research officer for OpenAI.
The Army said the first group’s guidance included assistance on “munitions supply chain data analysis, Organic Industrial Base investments, and foundational strategies for autonomous systems and counter-drone technologies.”
The detachment’s ranks have increased, the Army said, as the service has revamped its direct commissioning program by cutting the onboarding timeline from more than 18 months to around six. The new system makes it easier for technology leaders to serve without leaving civilian jobs, according to the service.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.