David Appel
Vice President of Global Government, National Security and Defense, AWS
David Appel had a defining 2025. In October, AWS launched its Secret-West Region, expanding classified computing capacity for defense and intelligence missions. Appel also secured the company’s $50 billion AI and supercomputing infrastructure investment, Amazon’s largest public sector commitment, accelerating federal innovation at scale. The OneGov GSA agreement he helped drive streamlined procurement and removed barriers to cloud adoption.
His leadership fed directly into mission outcomes: Idaho National Laboratory accelerating nuclear energy with AWS AI, Lawrence Livermore integrating AI at the National Ignition Facility and the Defense Innovation Unit optimizing air logistics. A partnership with Virginia Tech launched AI workforce training, and his thought leadership shaped policy discussions on GenAI, modernization and federal technology transformation.
Why Watch
In 2026, Appel is heavily focused on delivering the first-ever purpose-built AI and supercomputing infrastructure for the U.S. government, backed by Amazon’s up to $50 billion investment that will add nearly 1.3 gigawatts of compute capacity across all classification levels. AWS is expanding access to advanced AI capabilities — and giving agencies the freedom to choose the right model for the right mission through Amazon Bedrock.
“That model optionality means federal agencies can accelerate critical missions, from national security and cybersecurity to scientific research and energy innovation, without being locked into a single vendor’s roadmap,” he said. “This positions America to lead in the next generation of computational discovery, removing both the technology and procurement barriers that have held government back. We’re investing alongside our government customers to help them break through the constraints that have historically slowed technology adoption: budget cycles, appropriations timelines, and lengthy procurement processes.”
Programs like GSA OneGov and AWS’ accelerator initiatives (the Genesis Accelerator, the Warfighter Capability Accelerator) put AWS credits and technical resources directly into agencies’ hands so they can stand up AI capabilities now, not two fiscal years from now, he added.
The result is that agencies move from pilot to production faster, apply AI to real operational workloads, and start seeing efficiency gains while their traditional acquisition processes are still catching up. The company is compressing the timeline between identifying a capability need and running it in production.
“I’m grateful to lead a team that wakes up every day thinking about how to put AI in the hands of
the people protecting and serving this country,” Appel said. “And I’m grateful to our government customers for trusting us to move fast alongside them.”