Amentum Names Dr. Sam Nazari as Chief AI Architect

Amentum, a global leader in advanced engineering and technology solutions has named Dr. Sam Nazari as its first Chief AI Architect on May 19, 2026, creating a dedicated executive role to unify the company's AI capabilities and accelerate their deployment across its customer base in defense, intelligence, energy, space, and commercial sectors.

As AI becomes embedded across engineering and technology programs at scale, the coordination of AI investments, compliance requirements, and technical capabilities across a global organization requires dedicated executive leadership, according to the press release.

Nazari's mandate covers both the external customer-facing dimension, ensuring AI solutions align with mission-critical demand signals, and the internal dimension of operational automation across Amentum's own programs.

"Advancements in artificial intelligence are revolutionizing how mission objectives are achieved, enabling unprecedented levels of enterprise efficiency, precision, and scalability," said Jill Bruning, Chief Technology Officer at Amentum. "With Sam's unique expertise, he will strategically drive results-focused AI solutions that empower our customers to tackle their most complex challenges, ultimately advancing the world's most critical missions."

Nazari brings a career built specifically at the intersection of AI research and defense application. Before the Chief AI Architect appointment, he led key AI initiatives at DARPA within Amentum, one of the most demanding proving grounds for AI in mission-critical environments.

Prior to joining Amentum, he held roles at Scientific System Company Inc. and Systems & Technology Research, driving AI and machine learning advancements directly for the Department of Defense.

His technical track record spans AI-powered supply chain systems and state-of-the-art autonomous technologies supporting challenging defense environments and tactical operations, a range that covers both the operational infrastructure of large defense programs and the edge-deployed systems that support field operations.

The compliance dimension of the role is significant in the defense and government context. Ensuring AI deployments meet FedRAMP, CMMC, and client-specific compliance standards is not a secondary concern in regulated defense environments, it is often the primary constraint on how quickly AI can be deployed and at what scale.

Bruning noted that Nazari will unify the expertise of Amentum's internal AI leaders and deepen the company's AI partnerships to transform innovations into scalable solutions that deliver measurable value across programs.