On June 13, 2024, OpenAI announced that Paul M. Nakasone, a retired U.S. Army General is joining their Board of Directors. Nakasone will join the Board’s Safety and Security Committe. During his Army tenure, he played a key role in the establishment of the US Cyber Command. He was the longest-serving leader of USCYBERCOM, as well as the National Security Agency. In these roles, he was in charge of protecting the country’s digital infrastructure and developing its cyber defense capabilities.
Bret Taylor, the Chair of OpenAI’s Board, said, “General Nakasone’s unparalleled experience in areas like cybersecurity will help guide OpenAI in achieving its mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”
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Paul M Nakasone: Early Life
Paul Miki Nakasone, born on November 19, 1963, at White Bear Lake, Minnesota, is a retired general from the U.S. Army. Nakasone’s father, Edwin M. Nakasone, a second-generation Japanese American and retired Army colonel, served in the Military Intelligence Service during World War II.
Nakasone had his education at White Bear High School before heading to St. John’s University. He earned his commission as a military intelligence officer in 1986 through the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.
He went on to get a Master’s degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California. Nakasone earned two more Master’s degrees from the National Defense Intelligence College and the United States Army War College. Also, he is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College.
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Military Command
Paul M. Nakasone has been in the military for decades, holding various command and staff positions at different levels. He has commanded units at the company, battalion, and brigade levels and served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Korea. As a senior intelligence officer, he worked at the battalion, division, and corps levels, and held significant roles in strategic policy as a deputy director for trans-regional policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2012.
In 2016, Nakasone was promoted to lieutenant general and took command of the United States Second Army and United States Army Cyber Command. And when the Second Army was deactivated in March 2017, he continued leading the Army Cyber Command. He even created and commanded the Joint Task Force-ARES, a command for countering electronic threats from the Islamic State.
In 2018, he was appointed as the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), chief of the Central Security Service, and commander of the United States Cyber Command. During his time in these roles, he monitored critical cyber defense initiatives, including taking action against ransomware gangs and overseeing operations related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Paul M Nakasone: Post-Military Career
The veteran army general retired in February 2024. Despite rewriting, he continued to make a difference in the world of national security policy. He even wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post, advocating for the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Congress renewed it in April 2024.
In May 2024, Nakasone took on a new role as the Founding Director of Vanderbilt University’s Institute for National Defense and Global Security. He also joined the board of trustees of Saint John’s University and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Dartmouth College in June 2024.
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Role at OpenAI
In June 2024, it was announced that Paul Nakasone will join the board of directors of OpenAI, bringing his extensive expertise in cybersecurity to the forefront. He will serve on the Board’s Safety and Security Committee, which focuses on making critical safety and security decisions for OpenAI’s projects and operations.
“OpenAI’s dedication to its mission aligns closely with my values and experience in public service. I look forward to contributing to OpenAI’s efforts to ensure artificial general intelligence is safe and beneficial to people around the world,” the retired army general stated.
Conclusion
There have been mixed reactions regarding OpenAI appointing a former NSA leader to their Board of Directors. OpenAI has been caught in the crossfire of data privacy and security and hiring a retired federal agent specializing in intelligence gathering is adding fuel to the fire.
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