Trump named four officials to lead a new federal Super Intelligence Force.
Why it matters: The initiative places the intelligence community alongside regulators, defense and workforce officials in coordinating the administration's AI strategy. Its authority, budget, staffing and relationship with existing agencies remain undefined.
- Trump announced the force on October 4, 2026, in a Truth Social post.
- Jay Clayton, Andrew Ferguson, Emil Michael and Scott Kupor were named as its four leaders.
- ABC News reported that the force will report to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
- Clayton became the ninth Director of National Intelligence on August 3, 2026.
President Donald Trump announced a federal Super Intelligence Force on October 4, 2026, naming four officials to lead it: Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon Under Secretary for Research and Engineering and Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor.
Trump said in his Truth Social announcement that the force would coordinate the federal government's effort. The post identifies the initiative and its four leaders, but does not establish a hierarchy among them.
ABC News reported that the force will report to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. That reporting arrangement is not established in the announcement itself, based on the materials available here.
Clayton became the ninth Director of National Intelligence on August 3, 2026, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He previously chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2017 to 2020.
The announcement followed a White House meeting with major technology companies and a voluntary AI safety accord, according to CBS News. The materials do not identify the participating companies or establish whether the commitments were new.
The public announcement does not establish the force's legal authority, budget, staffing, relationship with existing agencies or whether Clayton will retain all of his DNI duties. It also formally lists four leaders without clearly establishing a hierarchy among them, according to TechCrunch.
By the numbers
- 4 - officials named to lead the force
- 9th - Clayton's position in the sequence of Directors of National Intelligence
- 2017-2020 - Clayton's tenure as SEC chair
Yes, but: The announcement does not define the force's legal authority, budget, staffing, agency relationships or leadership hierarchy.