What’s Key to Know About the U.S. Government’s Tech Force
By Paul Steidler: ICYMI, the spirit of DOGE and government efficiency is alive and well in the recently launched United States Tech Force, “a new, cross-government program to recruit top technologists to modernize the federal government.” That is how the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) described it in a December 15 press release announcing the initiative. The website adds that this “elite group” is to “accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) implementation and solve the federal government’s most critical technological challenges.”
The U.S. government badly needs to improve the quality of its full-time tech professionals and to modernize its technology. The U.S. Tech Force aims to be the catalyst for these changes by hiring 1,000 tech professionals for two-year periods of government service and deploying them to departments and agencies in need of their “mission-critical” expertise. The tech professionals will work in teams and report directly to agency leadership.
Leading the program is OPM Director Scott Kupor, who previously served as Managing Partner of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which he helped build from its inception in 2009 before joining OPM in July 2025. As someone who is walking the walk of going from the tech sector to the federal government, Kupor’s pitch is strong.
“If you want to help your country lead in the age of rapid technological advancement, we need you. Tech Force offers the chance to build and lead projects of national importance, while creating powerful career opportunities in both public service and the private sector.”
Josh Gruenbaum, Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service, said, “Tech Force is America’s elite corps for the AI revolution, mobilizing the nation’s best minds to lead on digital front lines, defend our global edge, and secure our future in technology leadership.”
Tech companies are also partnering with OPM on Tech Force. They are providing some of the tech professionals who will be in the program with mentorships from senior industry leaders, and are committed to considering hiring them after their two years of government service. These partners include Amazon Web Services, Anduril, Google Public Sector, Meta, Microsoft, Palantir, and many more.
The federal government’s AI and other technological challenges and opportunities for improvement are huge. The successful launch and implementation of the U.S. Tech Force will go a long way towards addressing these important issues.