Meta taps ex-Pentagon officials to pitch VR and AI to the US government

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has been recruiting former national security and Pentagon officials, part of a broader effort to position itself as a key player in the US federal government’s growing interest in artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies. According to a report by Forbes, Meta has posted at least six new job openings aimed at bolstering its ties to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. Among the roles listed are two public policy manager positions, including one focused specifically on the White House. Job postings cited in the report indicate a preference for candidates with active security clearances and prior experience at the Department of Defense.

“Lead our outreach to national security and foreign policy agencies within the Executive Branch of the U.S. government on both policy issues and adoption of our technologies,” reads one of the listings, highlighting Meta’s intent to integrate its technology offerings into the federal sphere.

The hiring campaign comes as Meta, led by Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, seeks to deepen its government ties and tap into lucrative defense contracts, following in the footsteps of technology rivals such as Google and OpenAI.

In January, the company brought on Francis Brennan, a former advisor to President Donald J. Trump, to oversee communications in Washington, according to Forbes. Meta has also hired at least one former federal official with more than a decade of service at a classified agency, according to LinkedIn data referenced in the report.

The strategic recruitment push follows a notable shift in the company’s posture toward government collaboration. In November 2024, Meta reportedly authorized access to its Llama artificial intelligence models for use by U.S. defense agencies and contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Palantir Technologies. The move marked a departure from the company’s previously stated policy, which barred the use of its open-source AI models in military or espionage-related applications.

Despite Llama’s open-source framework, Meta appears to have carved out an exemption for American defense interests. In a blog post at the time, Nick Clegg, Meta’s former president of global affairs, framed the decision as a patriotic responsibility.

“As an American company, and one that owes its success in no small part to the entrepreneurial spirit and democratic values the United States upholds, Meta wants to play its part to support the safety, security and economic prosperity of America — and of its closest allies too,” Clegg wrote. Meta also made Llama available to similar government agencies and contractors in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as per a Bloomberg report.

While no formal contracts with the Pentagon or National Security Agency have been publicly announced, Meta’s recent maneuvers suggest a concerted bid to stake out a role in the expanding landscape of government AI procurement — an arena where technological capabilities increasingly intersect with matters of national security.