Pentagon Signs AI Deal with Seven Tech Firms to Power Classified Networks

The Defense Department has been expanding artificial intelligence use for about a decade. Recent announcements come amid public debate over AI's role in warfare and a legal standoff with Anthropic over access to its Claude model.

The agreement covers SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. Officials said the deals will speed the shift to an AI-first fighting force and improve warfighter decision superiority. More than 1.3 million department personnel use the department's official AI platform, GenAI.mil, for tasks that once took months and now take days. GenAI.mil provides a chat-based interface that helps users draft reports, translate documents and summarize intelligence feeds. Officials note that the platform's adoption reflects growing confidence in AI tools across the force.

By embedding commercial AI tools in secure networks, the Pentagon aims to speed data analysis and situational awareness for troops. Officials argue the approach keeps the military technologically agile while avoiding vendor lock-in, a situation where reliance on one supplier limits flexibility. Critics warn that expanding AI in classified settings raises questions about oversight, especially regarding autonomous weapons and data privacy. Some lawmakers have called for clearer guidelines on how AI outputs are validated before being used in targeting decisions.

How the Pentagon oversees AI use in combat operations and whether congressional scrutiny leads to new reporting requirements on AI-driven targeting.