The Trump administration has launched a new recruiting initiative to bring more tech workers into the public sector. Dubbed the U.S. Tech Force, the hiring and talent development program will place employees inside federal agencies to work on projects related to artificial intelligence and modernization, with the goal of upgrading government systems and ensuring the United States remains competitive in the global AI arms race.
“We’re trying to reshape the workforce to make sure we have the right talent on the right problems,” Scott Kupor, the director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is spearheading the program, told reporters. “We have some resources, but certainly it’s an area that we need to build out more.”
What Is the U.S. Tech Force?
The U.S. Tech Force is a federal hiring initiative created by the Trump administration and overseen by the Office of Personnel Management. Launched in December 2025, it aims to recruit about 1,000 tech professionals — especially those in software engineering, AI, cybersecurity, data analytics and project management — to work in agencies on multi-year assignments. After completing the program, participants can either pursue full-time jobs with partner companies in the private sector or continue with their government roles.
The federal government has long struggled to attract and retain technologists, a challenge that likely worsened at the start of President Trump’s second term, when his newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) fired swaths of federal workers en masse and pressured thousands more to resign. Now, through the Tech Force, the administration is looking to hire about 1,000 software engineers, data scientists and project managers, posting them at agencies like the Internal Revenue Service, the Defense Department, the Treasury Department, the Department of Energy and many more.
Interested candidates can apply through the official Tech Force website. But first, let’s take a closer look at the program itself — what it really involves, how it works and why the government is pushing to recruit hundreds of tech workers right now.
What Is the U.S. Tech Force and How Does It Work?
The U.S. Tech Force is a federal recruiting initiative designed to bring skilled technologists into government roles for short-term assignments. The program lasts two years, during which time participants will work directly with agencies on projects aimed at modernizing government systems, accelerating AI development and strengthening the government’s technical expertise overall.
Tech Force has made it clear that this is not a political appointment and carries no political agenda. Rather, it is focused “exclusively on improving government technology capabilities” and is “centered on serving the American public through better technology.”
Who They Want
Tech Force is seeking early-career workers and supervisors who are skilled in:
- Software engineering
- Artificial intelligence
- Technical project management
- Cybersecurity
- Data analytics
- Data science
Candidates do not need a degree or a specific amount of work experience to be considered for the program. Tech Force is mainly looking for people who can “demonstrate strong technical skills” through projects and certifications, and who are able to tackle “critical government technology challenges.”
Applications are now open, and OPM aims to have most members of the first cohort placed in roles within the first quarter of 2026.
What the Program Entails
Tech Force participants will be placed across various federal agencies, where they will work on initiatives like AI implementation, application development and data modernization throughout the federal government. This can include incorporating advanced AI into drones and other weapons at the Department of Defense, building out the so-called “Trump Accounts” platform at the IRS or using AI to improve intelligence at the State Department, according to Kupor.
These positions will primarily be based in Washington D.C., though Tech Force says some roles may be based at agency locations across the country. In some cases, remote options will be available as well.
Throughout the two-year program, OPM plans to bring on Silicon Valley CEOs and other executives for speaker events. It will also partner with tech companies to provide mentorship and training to participants. OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, Salesforce, Palantir, Oracle, Nvidia and xAI are among the dozens of companies that have signed on as partners of the program so far.
After completing the program, participants can pursue employment opportunities with the private-sector partners, continue in the government or leverage their experience elsewhere.
Pay and Benefits
Annual salaries are expected to be around $150,000 to $200,000, according to Tech Force. Benefits will include health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off, as well as professional development and networking opportunities with industry leaders.
What Companies Are Partnering With Tech Force?
The initial roster of private-sector partners includes:
- Amazon Web Services
- AMD
- Anduril
- Apple
- Coinbase
- Dell
- IBM
- Meta
- Microsoft
- Nvidia
- OpenAI
- Oracle
- Palantir
- Salesforce
- Uber
- xAI
Has the Federal Government Ever Done This Before?
This isn’t the first time the federal government has tried to bring more technologists into its ranks. In 2021, the Biden administration launched the U.S. Digital Corps, a two-year fellowship aimed at recruiting early-career tech workers to help modernize the government. Before that, then-President Barack Obama established the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) to embed tech workers inside federal agencies.
The Trump administration has since fashioned the USDS into a home for DOGE (now the U.S. DOGE Service), which went on to make sweeping federal job cuts, including senior technologists within the USDS and staff at the General Services Administration (GSA), which runs Digital Corps. And in March 2025, DOGE also eliminated 18F, a digital services agency set up under the Obama administration to fix technical problems and increase efficiency for federal agencies. Elon Musk, who previously led DOGE, posted on X that the group had been “deleted,” reposting another message that called it a “far-left government wide computer office.”
Kupor made it clear at the press conference that Tech Force is a separate entity from DOGE, which remains active but has taken a lower profile since Musk’s sudden departure in May.
“If you think about a lot of what the DOGE engineers did, a lot of things, but a big portion of course was looking for waste, fraud and abuse, which you know is ongoing, and it’s still a very important thing,” he said. “Our hope here is that these individuals will really focus on, broadly, modernization efforts.”
Why Is This Happening Now?
The creation of the Tech Force comes at an especially anxious time for U.S. tech workers. After years of rapid growth, the job market has become quite volatile, marked by hiring freezes and widespread layoffs at even seemingly successful companies — several of which are now partnering with this program. At the same time, advances in automation and artificial intelligence are transforming how work gets done, redefining some roles and outright eliminating others.
Even so, competition for AI talent is the fiercest it’s ever been, with tech companies offering multimillion-dollar signing bonuses and other perks to lure top engineers and researchers from one another. With Tech Force, the federal government is entering the fray from the other end of the spectrum, recruiting early-career professionals — a segment of the workforce with far fewer opportunities these days — to build its own talent pipeline amid this period of rapid innovation.
Artificial intelligence — and maintaining U.S. dominance in it — has become a key issue for the Trump administration in general. Some of the president’s first actions upon his return to the White House was to roll back Biden-era safety directives and launch a $500 billion partnership with top tech companies to shore up America’s AI infrastructure. He also unveiled an “AI Action Plan” aimed at accelerating the growth of AI companies by cutting red tape for data center construction and easing export controls of domestic chips and hardware. More recently, Trump signed an executive order seeking to limit state AI regulations in favor of a “minimally burdensome” national framework.
Tech Force is the Trump administration’s latest shot at securing America’s lead in the AI race — this time by going straight for the technologists who will shape its future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply to the U.S. Tech Force?
Tech Force is aimed at early-career technologists and supervisors with skills in software engineering, AI, cybersecurity, data science, data analytics and technical project management. Candidates don’t need a degree or a specific amount of work experience. Rather, the program is looking for people who can demonstrate strong technical skills through projects, certifications and prior work experience, and are capable of tackling critical government technology challenges.
What does the Tech Force program involve?
Participants will join federal agencies for two-year assignments on projects related to AI, modernization and digital transformation. Most positions are based in Washington D.C., though some roles may be at other agency locations or offer remote work options.
What agencies will Tech Force participants work for?
Tech Force participants will be placed across various federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Treasury, State, Labor, Commerce, Energy, Health and Human Services, Interior, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Small Business Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration.
What are the pay, benefits and career opportunities after the Tech Force program?
Tech Force participants can expect annual salaries of around $150,000–$200,000, along with health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off and professional development opportunities. After completing the program, participants can pursue roles with private-sector partner companies, continue working in government or leverage their experience elsewhere in the tech industry.
