Pentagon strikes AI deals with Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS to build AI-first fighting force

Pentagon inks deals with Nvidia, Microsoft and AWS to deploy AI on classified networks | TechCrunch

"These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare," the statement reads. The deals come as the U.S. Department of Defense has accelerated its diversification of AI vendors in the wake of its controversial dispute with Anthropic over usage terms of its AI models. The Pentagon wanted unrestricted use of Anthropic's AI tools, but the AI lab insisted on guardrails to prevent Anthropic's tech from being used for domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. The two are fighting it out in court at the moment, though Anthropic in March won an injunction against the Pentagon's move to brand the company a "supply chain risk." "The Department will continue to build an architecture that prevents AI vendor lock-in and ensures long-term flexibility for the Joint Force," the statement reads. "Access to a diverse suite of AI capabilities from across the resilient American technology stack will give warfighters the tools they need to act with confidence and safeguard the nation against any threat." The DoD said the companies' AI hardware and models will be deployed on Impact Level 6 (IL6) and Impact Level 7 (IL7) environments to "streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making." IL6 and IL7 are high-level security classifications for data and information systems that are deemed critical to national security, and require that these systems be protected physically, through strict access controls and audits. The Pentagon said more than 1.3 million DoD personnel have so far used its secure enterprise platform for generative AI, GenAI.mil, which provides access to large language models (LLMs) and other AI tools within government-approved cloud environments. It is designed to help primarily with non-classified tasks like research, document drafting, and data analysis.

Pentagon strikes classified AI deals with OpenAI, Google, and Nvidia -- but not Anthropic

The Pentagon has struck deals with OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Elon Musk's xAI, and the startup Reflection, allowing the agency to use their AI tools in classified settings, according to an announcement on Friday. At the same time, the Defense Department has left out Anthropic -- which it previously used for classified information -- after declaring it a supply-chain risk. This builds upon deals with OpenAI and xAI, which have already reached agreements with the Pentagon for the "lawful" use of their AI systems. A report from The Information suggests Google has struck a similar agreement. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft and Amazon already have "deep relationships with the Pentagon," while contracts with Nvidia and Reflection are new. And while Anthropic had a $200 million deal to handle classified materials for the Pentagon, it refused to loosen "red lines" around mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons for the agency, leading to a dispute that banned the AI startup's products from the federal government. Anthropic sued the federal government in response and won a temporary injunction. Emil Michael, the Defense Department's chief technology officer, told CNBC on Friday that Anthropic is still a supply chain risk, but called its powerful security model, Mythos, a "separate national security moment," adding that "we have to make sure that our networks are hardened up, because that model has capabilities that are particular to finding cyber vulnerabilities and patching them." In its announcement, the Pentagon says the agreements with the seven AI companies will allow for the "lawful operational use" of their systems, "establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force."

The Pentagon announces AI deals with OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, and more -- LLMs to be deployed on classified Department of War networks 'for lawful operational use'

American soldiers can now officially use AI as part of their everyday tasks. The U.S. Department of War has announced deals with "seven of the world's leading frontier artificial intelligence companies" for operational use. According to the Classified Networks AI Agreements press release, SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services will deploy their LLMs across the Pentagon's classified networks "for lawful operational use." The government said that this move will help turn the United States military into "an AI-first fighting force" and will help with "decision superiority across all domains of warfare." It seems that the AI tools that these companies offer will, for now, be limited to data analysis and help make decision-making faster and easier as the U.S. faces complex situations. These tools are accessible via GenAi.mil, the Pentagon's official AI platform, through the Department of War's network and are widely available for its personnel. "Over 1.3 million Department personnel have used the platform, generating tens of millions of prompts and deploying hundreds of thousands of agents in only five months," the Pentagon said. "Warfighters, civilians and contractors are putting these capabilities to practical use right now, cutting many tasks from months to days." Nevertheless, there have been concerns about the use of AI in military applications. Anthropic has famously refused to budge on the Department of War's demand to lower its safeguards, saying that doing so could mean that its AI products could be used for mass surveillance or to create autonomous weapons. This move resulted in President Donald Trump banning the company from federal agencies, even going as far as designating it a supply chain risk for refusing to bow to the federal government's demands. While AI is certainly useful for distilling massive amounts of information and spotting patterns that humans can miss, it's still not a 100% reliable tool for making decisions that could have a global impact. A researcher discovered this when they pitted GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4, and Gemini 3 against each other in a wargame, with 95% of the outcome ending in a tactical nuclear strike. Three scenarios even ended in a strategic nuclear strike that would have ended the world. But even though these AI tools are limited to analysis and support, with a human operator at the helm still responsible for every decision, there's also the risk of automation bias. This is a person's tendency to follow a computer's suggestion despite contradictory information, especially as AI systems can process a ton of data so much more quickly than any human could. However, the data the AI is relying on could be false, erroneous, or misinterpreted, so it's crucial that humans apply their intuition and experience before accepting AI suggestions at face value. The U.S. military isn't the only one experimenting with and deploying AI technologies in operational use. China, for example, has been showing off a 200-strong AI drone swarm that can be controlled by a single soldier, as well as ground-based drone wolfpacks armed with machine guns and grenade launchers for urban combat. While we cannot stop these armed institutions from deploying AI tools for intelligence-gathering, reconnaissance, and decision-making on the battlefield, we can only hope that they do not ignore safeguards and never give AI the triggers to any weapon. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

Nvidia, Microsoft, AWS Expanding Classified Military AI Use

The Pentagon has struck agreements with four more technology companies for expansive use of advanced artificial intelligence tools on classified military networks, according to a Defense Department statement and two defense officials briefed on the matter. Nvidia Corp., Microsoft Corp., Reflection AI Inc. and Amazon Web Services have all newly struck agreements with the US Defense Department "for lawful operational use," according to the statement. The officials asked not to be named to discuss internal discussions. The companies join a growing roster of technology giants that have recently pledged to provide broader use of AI tools on Pentagon classified networks. Other technology companies that have recently agreed to similar deals include SpaceX, OpenAI and Google. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force," said the statement, which refers to all six companies and which also marks the first official Pentagon confirmation of a new deal with Google reported earlier this week. "For more than a decade, AWS has been committed to supporting our nation's military and ensuring that our warfighters and defense partners have access to the best technology at the best value," according to Tim Barrett, an AWS spokesperson. "We look forward to continuing to support the Department of War's modernization efforts, building AI solutions that help them accomplish their critical missions." A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment, while representatives from Nvidia and Reflection weren't immediately available for comment. The Pentagon negotiated its deal with Amazon Web Services late into Thursday, according to two Pentagon officials briefed on the talks. The effort to craft a new coalition of technology companies for maximalist military use of advanced AI comes as the Pentagon is racing to develop alternatives to Anthropic PBC's Claude tool. An acrimonious fracture between Anthropic and senior defense officials exposed a recurring fault line between the Pentagon and Silicon Valley over the looming risks of AI at war. The Pentagon refused to heed Anthropic's stated red lines seeking to limit how the US military can use AI in classified operations during recent renegotiations and sought to eject the company from all defense supply lines. The agency gave itself six months to replace Claude, which is being used for US military operations against Iran. The disagreement is now mired in a court battle. On Thursday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described Anthropic's leader as an "ideological lunatic" and defended his department's use of AI. "We follow the law and humans make decisions," Hegseth told Congress. "AI is not making lethal decisions." Get the Tech Newsletter bundle. Get the Tech Newsletter bundle. Get the Tech Newsletter bundle. Bloomberg's subscriber-only tech newsletters, and full access to all the articles they feature. Bloomberg's subscriber-only tech newsletters, and full access to all the articles they feature. Bloomberg's subscriber-only tech newsletters, and full access to all the articles they feature. Plus Signed UpPlus Sign UpPlus Sign Up By continuing, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Since the fallout with Anthropic, the Pentagon has accelerated its efforts to bring on other AI companies to agree to expanded usage terms for their models and infrastructure on secret and top-secret networks. In addition, defense officials are seeking to ensure the US military avoids depending on any one single company or set of limitations, according to one of the Pentagon officials briefed on the talks. The Pentagon's effort to equip the US military with cutting-edge AI at the classified level will help "human-machine teams" that can handle immense volumes of data, said Cameron Stanley, the Pentagon's chief digital and AI officer, in a statement referring to the new deals. Although OpenAI signed a new agreement for expanded use of its models on classified networks with the Pentagon earlier this year, its tools are still not deployed on classified defense networks, according to an OpenAI spokesperson, who added that implementation is nevertheless underway. Several campaign groups have highlighted the risks of relying on unpredictable AI-assisted systems in support of life-and-death decisions. AI systems can be prone to error and can lead to automation bias, or a tendency to trust machine outputs over human reasoning, the critics have argued. Stanley didn't specify the precise ways in which the Pentagon intends to use AI models in classified operations. He described them as digital tools that would make it easier for the Pentagon to crunch through data, increase understanding in complex environments and make "better decisions, faster." Claude is among the AI tools used on Maven Smart System, a digital platform used in support of targeting and battlefield operations during Iran operations. US Central Command has said it is using a variety of AI tools to speed processes.

Pentagon reaches agreements with leading AI companies

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Friday it had reached agreements with seven leading AI companies to deploy their advanced capabilities on the Defense Department's classified networks. SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services will be integrated into the Pentagon's Impact Levels 6 and 7 network environments to "streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter ⁠decision-making in complex operational environments," the Pentagon said in a statement. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare". Another AI giant Anthropic has been in dispute with the Pentagon over guardrails for how the military could use its ⁠artificial intelligence tools, which led the Pentagon to label Anthropic a supply-chain risk last month, barring its use by the Pentagon and its contractors. The tech news site the Information reported on Tuesday ⁠that Google had joined a growing list of firms to sign a deal enabling the Department of Defense to use its artificial ⁠intelligence models for classified work. The agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google's AI for "any lawful government purpose," the ⁠report added, putting it alongside OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, which also have deals to supply AI models for classified use. Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Kevin Liffey Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Pentagon signs new military AI deals with Nvidia, Microsoft and Amazon

The Pentagon has struck new agreements with tech companies to use their AI tools and infrastructure on classified networks, as the US military broadens its AI options after its relationship with Anthropic collapsed. The defence department said on Friday it has reached deals with Nvidia, Microsoft, Reflection AI and Amazon Web Services for the "lawful operational use" of their technology. The deals are similar to those previously struck with SpaceX, OpenAI and Google. The deals come amid a clash between the Pentagon and Anthropic. Its Claude model was previously the only one used in classified settings, including in the war against Iran and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. But Dario Amodei, Anthropic's chief executive, has said he refused to sign a deal with the defence department unless the government guaranteed that Anthropic's tools would not be used for mass domestic surveillance and lethal autonomous weapons. The seven agreements signed by the Pentagon provide access to proprietary and closed models via SpaceX, OpenAI and Google, and open source models with Nvidia and Reflection AI. Microsoft and AWS are providing AI infrastructure. Emil Michael, the Pentagon's chief technology officer, told CNBC on Friday that "open source is a brand new vector for us, which is very important because Chinese open source models have infiltrated a lot of different companies. We want to have an American alternative to that." On Monday, Google signed its Pentagon deal as more than 560 employees sent an open letter to chief executive Sundar Pichai urging him to walk away from talks because of concerns that its technology could be used in "inhumane or extremely harmful ways". Accelerating the incorporation of AI throughout the military -- including on the battlefield -- has been a priority for the Pentagon under US defence secretary Pete Hegseth. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare," the Pentagon said. The US attempt to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk in late February -- just one day before the start of the US war on Iran -- was an unprecedented move by the Pentagon against an American company. "Anthropic is run by an ideological lunatic" who should not have "decision-making over what we do", Hegseth told Congress on Thursday. US President Donald Trump also banned Anthropic from all government contracts, while Anthropic and the Pentagon are locked in legal battles. However, Amodei met White House chief of staff Susie Wiles last month, as the US government sought access to Anthropic's new Mythos model, which has shown strong advances in breaking cyber defences. Michael said on Friday that "the Mythos issue . . . is a separate national security moment where we have to make sure that our networks are hardened up, because that model has capabilities that are particular to finding cyber vulnerabilities and patching them".

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and NVIDIA will provide AI tech to Pentagon - Engadget

You can add Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and NVIDIA to the growing list of tech giants that have decided to give the US Defense Department access to their AI tools. According to Bloomberg, the three companies -- alongside a forth, Reflection AI -- have signed agreements granting the Pentagon use of their AI technologies "for lawful operational use" on classified military networks. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force," the Pentagon said in a statement shared with Bloomberg. The four companies join xAI, OpenAI and Google in signing similar deals with the Defense Department. That essentially leaves Anthropic as the lone major US-based AI provider without a working agreement with the Pentagon. In February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to label Anthropic a "supply chain risk" if it did not agree to withdraw safeguards preventing the company's chatbot, Claude, from being used for mass surveillance against Americans or deployed in fully autonomous weapons. After Anthropic refused to bow to Hegseth's demands, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Claude and other Anthropic products within six months. As things stand, the two sides are embroiled in an ongoing court battle. The Defense Department's rapid adoption of AI tech, and the speed at which American tech companies are lining up to sell their wares to the Trump administration, should be a concern for all US citizens. If there's some small comfort, however, it's that it appears most people don't approve of the deals AI companies are striking with the Pentagon. According to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, OpenAI saw uninstalls of ChatGPT jump by 413 percent year-over-year in February after the company inked its deal with the Defense Department.

US military reaches deals with 7 tech companies to use their AI on classified systems

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon said Friday that it has partnered with seven tech companies to tap into their artificial intelligence in classified systems, allowing the military to boost its use of AI to help it fight wars. Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, OpenAI, Reflection and SpaceX will provide resources to help "augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments," the Defense Department said. The Defense Department has been rapidly accelerating its use of AI in recent years. The technology can help the U.S. military reduce the time it takes to identify and strike targets on the battlefield, while aiding in the organization of weapons maintenance and supply lines, according to a report in March from the Brennan Center for Justice. Friday's announcement comes after concerns raised by a company not on the list, Anthropic, whose battle with the Pentagon to put up AI guardrails has spilled into court. The tech company said it wanted assurances in its contract that the military would not use its technology in fully autonomous weapons and the surveillance of Americans. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the company must allow for any uses the Pentagon deemed lawful. Anthropic sued after President Donald Trump, a Republican, tried to stop all federal agencies from using the company's chatbot Claude and Hegseth sought to label the company a supply chain risk, a designation meant to protect against sabotage of national security systems by foreign adversaries. OpenAI had announced a deal with the Pentagon in March to effectively replace Anthropic with ChatGPT in classified environments. The Pentagon said Friday that military personnel are already using its AI capabilities through its official platform, GenAI.mil. "Warfighters, civilians and contractors are putting these capabilities to practical use right now, cutting many tasks from months to days," the Pentagon said, adding that the military's growing AI capabilities will "give warfighters the tools they need to act with confidence and safeguard the nation against any threat." ___

Pentagon Makes Deals With A.I. Companies to Expand Classified Work

Julian Barnes and Sheera Frenkel have been reporting on the Pentagon's work, and disputes, with artificial intelligence companies. The Pentagon announced on Friday that it had reached deals with some of the technology industry's biggest companies in an effort to expand the military's artificial intelligence capabilities and increase the number of firms authorized to be on classified networks. The companies, according to the Defense Department, agreed to allow the Pentagon to employ their technology for "any lawful use," a standard resisted by Anthropic, which was initially the only artificial intelligence model available on classified markets. The Pentagon had previously confirmed deals with Elon Musk's xAI, OpenAI and Google. In addition the Pentagon said it had reached deals with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Nvidia and Reflection AI, a start-up. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an A.I.-first fighting force," the Pentagon said in a statement. Defense Department officials hope the new deals will push Anthropic to drop its reservations about the military's broad "any lawful use" standard. President Trump has ordered the government to cut ties with Anthropic, but for now the company's technology remains on classified networks and intelligence analysts still depend on the firm's models. While the Pentagon wants to quickly move to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, there have been growing pains and technical problems. Anthropic and the Pentagon are currently in federal litigation over the Defense Department's decision to label the company a supply chain risk, a novel use of the government's power to raise concerns about how corporations build their products. White House officials, impressed and worried about the power of Anthropic's newest model, Mythos, have been pushing for a compromise that would end the company's feud with the Pentagon, or at least allow other parts of the government to work with the firm. The deal with the companies was reported earlier by Bloomberg. A Pentagon official said the new agreements would help prevent "vendor lock" and ensure that the military would not have to depend on any one company. The military also wants firms to agree to a single standard, and has been loath to give firms contractual guarantees about how their models will be used. Anthropic and the Pentagon have been locked in a debate over whether the company's Claude model could be used to pilot autonomous drones or work on domestic surveillance. The Pentagon says it does not intend to use the model for either of those activities, but the two sides have not agreed on contractual language, or if it is even necessary. In its announcement, the Pentagon did not specify how it would use the new A.I. tools but said the agreement would help service members make faster and better decisions. "Access to a diverse suite of A.I. capabilities from across the resilient American technology stack will give war fighters the tools they need to act with confidence and safeguard the nation against any threat," the Pentagon said.

Microsoft and Amazon join Pentagon's push to build AI-first military with classified network deals

Microsoft and Amazon joined other leading artificial intelligence companies in signing deals to deploy their technology in classified Pentagon networks, the Defense Department announced Friday, accelerating a push to build what the military is calling an "AI-first fighting force." The agreements -- which also include OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, SpaceX and the startup Reflection -- will give those firms' AI systems access to the military's most classified network environments, known as Impact Level 6 and Impact Level 7. The Pentagon said the technology will be used to analyze data and improve battlefield decision-making. "Together, the War Department and these strategic partners share the conviction that American leadership in AI is indispensable to national security," the Pentagon said in a statement, using the Trump administration's preferred name for the Defense Department. The Pentagon says the effort is already well underway. More than 1.3 million Defense Department personnel have used GenAI.mil, the military's official AI platform, generating tens of millions of prompts and deploying hundreds of thousands of agents in just five months, according to the department. Officials say the technology has cut some tasks from months to days. The deals come as the Pentagon is locked in a legal battle with Anthropic, one of the nation's leading AI labs, which had sought guarantees its technology would not be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. The Defense Department moved to blacklist Anthropic earlier this year, calling the company a national security risk -- a designation Anthropic is contesting in court. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei an "ideological lunatic" and slammed the company during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Bloomberg reported that the Pentagon negotiated its deal with Amazon Web Services late into Thursday night, according to two officials briefed on the talks. "We look forward to continuing to support the Department of War's modernization efforts, building AI solutions that help them accomplish their critical missions," AWS spokesman Tim Barrett said in a statement. Hundreds of Google employees sent a letter to company leadership this week urging them to refuse to let the Pentagon use its AI on classified data. "We want to see AI benefit humanity; not to see it being used in inhumane or extremely harmful ways," they wrote, according to The Washington Post.

Pentagon signs classified AI deals with Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS after ejecting Anthropic over safety limits

The Pentagon announced on 1 May that it has signed agreements with Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Reflection AI for expanded use of advanced artificial intelligence on classified military networks. The deals bring the total number of companies with such agreements to seven, following similar arrangements with SpaceX, OpenAI, and Google, which signed its own classified AI deal earlier this week. All seven agreements permit "lawful operational use," a phrase that the Defense Department statement describes as enabling the transformation "toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force." The phrase is not accidental. It is a deliberate replacement for the restrictions that Anthropic, the company behind Claude, attempted to impose on military use of its technology. Anthropic's refusal to remove those restrictions led to its ejection from the Pentagon's supply chain. The seven companies that remain have agreed to terms that Anthropic would not. The distinction matters because it defines what "classified military AI" means in practice. Anthropic's position, before the Pentagon designated it a supply chain risk in February, was that it would not permit its models to be used for mass domestic surveillance of American citizens or for fully autonomous weapons systems. These were not vague principles. They were contractual red lines that Anthropic insisted on including in its Pentagon agreement, which was worth $200 million and had been awarded in July 2025. The Pentagon refused to accept the restrictions during renegotiations in late 2025 and early 2026, and when Anthropic held firm, the Defense Department moved to eject the company entirely and replace it with competitors willing to sign broader terms. "Lawful operational use" is the result: a formulation expansive enough to cover targeting assistance, intelligence synthesis, and operational planning on secret and top-secret networks, without the specific prohibitions Anthropic sought. The new agreements give the Pentagon "wide leeway to potentially use powerful advanced AI technologies for secret combat operations, including to assist with targeting," according to defence officials briefed on the matter. The Pentagon negotiated its deal with AWS late into Thursday evening, suggesting urgency in assembling the full set of agreements. An AWS spokesperson, asked to comment on the deal, referred to the Defense Department as "the Department of War," its pre-1947 name, and said AWS "looks forward to continuing to support" its modernisation efforts. The seven companies now operating on classified Pentagon networks represent the near-entirety of the American AI industry's infrastructure layer. Nvidia provides the chips. Microsoft and AWS provide the cloud infrastructure. Google provides Gemini. OpenAI provides GPT. SpaceX provides satellite communications and, following its acquisition of xAI, AI models trained on data from X. Smaller defence-focused AI firms are also building for sovereign military applications, but the Pentagon's priority is clearly the largest providers. Reflection AI, a less well-known company among the seven, builds AI specifically for classified and intelligence community applications. The breadth of the arrangement is the point. Defence officials have said they are seeking to ensure the US military "avoids depending on any one single company or set of limitations," a formulation that is itself a reference to the Anthropic fallout. The Pentagon does not want to be in a position where a single AI company's ethical red lines can constrain military operations. The solution is diversification across seven providers, all of whom have agreed to terms that do not include the restrictions Anthropic insisted upon. The "AI-first fighting force" that the Pentagon envisions requires AI that is available for any lawful purpose the military defines, without prior constraints imposed by the companies that build it. The Anthropic story runs in the opposite direction. The company was designated a supply chain risk, a label previously reserved for Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE. Its $200 million Pentagon contract was effectively voided. Senior defence officials publicly criticised the company, and the Trump administration has since expanded the dispute to include opposition to Anthropic's Mythos model and restrictions on its deployment in government systems. The commercial consequences, so far, have been negligible. Anthropic's valuation has risen to approximately $900 billion, up from $380 billion in February. Its largest compute deal, with Google and Broadcom, dwarfs the Pentagon contract it lost. The company's revenue run rate is approximately $30 billion. Being ejected from the Pentagon's classified networks has not, at least in the short term, damaged Anthropic's business. What it has done is establish a precedent. Any AI company that sets specific limits on military use of its technology will be replaced by one that does not. The Pentagon's message, delivered through seven simultaneous agreements with competitors, is that the Department of Defense will not negotiate the scope of military AI use with the companies that build it. "Lawful operational use" means the military decides what is lawful and what is operational. The companies provide the technology. The question of whether AI should assist with targeting, or whether fully autonomous systems should make lethal decisions, is not one the Pentagon intends to resolve through commercial contracts. It is one the Pentagon intends to resolve by selecting vendors who do not ask it. The practical implications are significant. AI deployed on Impact Level 6 and Impact Level 7 classified networks will be used for intelligence analysis, operational planning, and the synthesis of data from sources that are themselves classified. The Pentagon's statement says these tools will "streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments." In less bureaucratic language: AI will help analysts process intelligence faster, help commanders understand battlefields in closer to real time, and help targeting teams identify and prioritise objectives. SpaceX's expanding AI capabilities, acquired through its merger with xAI, add a dimension that did not exist when the Pentagon first began negotiating these deals: a satellite communications company that also builds AI models, operating on the same classified networks that process targeting data. The speed of the Pentagon's pivot is itself a statement. Five months ago, Anthropic held a $200 million contract and was the most prominent AI company working on classified military systems. Today, seven competitors have signed agreements that collectively render Anthropic's military contribution replaceable. The Pentagon has answered a question that the AI industry has been debating since the first Google employee protested Project Maven in 2018: whether the companies that build the most powerful AI systems will have a say in how those systems are used by the military. The answer, delivered across seven contracts in a single week, is no.

The Rest of Big Tech Piles in to Take the Pentagon Deal That Anthropic Wouldn't

Four new companies have agreed to let the U.S. military use their AI tech for classified work. While Anthropic took a stand earlier this year to limit how its AI tech is used in classified military settings, it seems like the rest of Silicon Valley isn’t too concerned. Four more tech companies have struck deals with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to deploy their advanced AI capabilities on classified military networks for “lawful operational use.†Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon Web Services, and startup Reflection AI were named as the latest companies to sign agreements with the Pentagon, according to a DoD press release. They join SpaceX, OpenAI, and Google, bringing the total number of AI companies participating in classified military work to seven. “These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare,†the press release reads. The press release added that integrating advanced AI systems into classified networks will “streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments.†“For more than a decade, AWS has been committed to supporting our nation's military and ensuring that our warfighters and defense partners have access to the best technology at the best value,†AWS Spokesperson Tim Barrett told Gizmodo in an emailed statement. "We look forward to continuing to support the Department of War's modernization efforts, building AI solutions that help them accomplish their critical missions." Microsoft, Nvidia, and Reflection AI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Gizmodo. The deals come as concerns grow around the use of AI for surveillance and military applications. Earlier this year, Anthropic, which at the time was the only major AI company working with the Pentagon on classified systems, reportedly hit a wall in negotiations with the DoD after officials pushed for language allowing Anthropic's technology to be used for “any lawful purpose.†The biggest sticking points involved potential uses tied to domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons systems. In both situations, there are arguments that AI could already be legally used for those purposes. There's also the fact that laws and courts' interpretations of those laws change all the time, and the U.S. has very little legislation that was written with AI in mind. After those talks reportedly fell apart, the Trump administration designated the company as a supply chain risk. Anthropic later filed two lawsuits against the Defense Department in response. Since then, however, President Donald Trump has said his administration has had “some very good talks†with Anthropic and suggested a future agreement restoring the company’s access to Pentagon work could still be “possible.†Anthropic’s most advanced AI model, Mythos, has further complicated matters. The model, which has only been released to a select number of organizations, is reportedly already being tested by the National Security Agency (NSA) to help identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities in widely used software, including Microsoft products. Still, just yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Anthropic was being run by an “ideological lunatic who shouldn’t have sole decision-making over what we do†during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. When asked if “there will always be a human in the loop," Hegseth avoided giving a direct answer and stuck with “We follow the law and humans make decisions.†He added that AI is not currently "making lethal decisions.†The controversy has left some tech companies trying to straddle the fence. Google struck its agreement earlier this week despite more than 600 employees, including directors and vice presidents, signing a letter that urged CEO Sundar Pichai to refuse to allow Google’s AI models to be used in classified military settings. Meanwhile, in the blog post announcing its deal, OpenAI said it maintained control over its “safety stack†and prohibited the use of its AI for mass domestic surveillance or directing lethal autonomous weapons systems. The Information reports that Google’s agreement includes similar language, but also states that the company “does not confer any right to control or veto lawful Government operational decision-making.â€

Top AI companies agree to work with Pentagon on secret data

The Pentagon said it signed a deal with companies including Amazon, Google and Microsoft. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Seven leading artificial intelligence companies have reached deals to deploy their technology in classified Pentagon computer networks, the Defense Department said Friday. "Together, the War Department and these strategic partners share the conviction that American leadership in AI is indispensable to national security," the Pentagon said in a statement, using the administration's preferred name for the Defense Department.

Pentagon plans to make US military 'AI-first fighting force' by pairing with companies

Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox The Pentagon said on Friday it had reached agreements with seven leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies: SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare," the Pentagon said in statement. The US Department of Defense is budgeting tens of billions of dollars for numerous technology firms' cutting edge programs related to intelligence, drone warfare, classified and unclassified information networks and much more. The plans have sparked disputes with some AI firms and controversy and concerns over public spending, global cyber security and the capacity for such technology to be used for domestic surveillance. In January Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, unveiled a new "AI acceleration strategy" at the Pentagon that he said will "unleash experimentation, eliminate bureaucratic barriers, focus on investments, and demonstrate the execution approach needed to ensure we lead in military AI and that it grows more dominant into the future". On Friday, the department announced that the companies mentioned will be integrated into what it called the Pentagon's "Impact Levels 6 and 7" network environments to "streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments", according to a federal statement. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare," the Pentagon's statement added. Another AI giant, Anthropic, has been in dispute with the Pentagon over guardrails for how the military could use its artificial intelligence tools, which led the Pentagon to label Anthropic a supply-chain risk last month, barring its use by the Pentagon and its contractors.

Pentagon Signs AI Deals With Google, OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and SpaceX - Decrypt

The Pentagon's internal AI platform shows rapid early adoption across the department. The U.S. Department of Defense said Friday it has entered agreements with eight technology firms, certifying SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft, Oracle, and Amazon Web Services to deploy advanced artificial intelligence on classified military networks. According to the announcement, the systems will run at Impact Level 6 and Impact Level 7, Department of Defense security standards for classified data, with IL6 covering secret-level information and IL7 used for more sensitive intelligence systems designed to handle highly restricted national security data. The AI must operate on tightly controlled infrastructure with strict access controls, network isolation, and clearance requirements. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare," the Pentagon said. The Pentagon said the agreements build on existing federal investment in these companies, which already hold contracts across cloud computing, data infrastructure, and AI. The announcement did not disclose the value of the contracts. In its 2026 budget request, the Department of Defense said it is seeking a total of $961.6 billion, including $33.7 billion earmarked for science and technology and autonomous systems. The department said the effort will support its internal platform, GenAI.mil, launched in December with Google Gemini, adding that more than 1.3 million personnel have used it to generate tens of millions of prompts and deploy hundreds of thousands of AI agents in five months. The Pentagon said the system will support data analysis, situational awareness, and decision-making, and is designed to use multiple AI providers rather than rely on a single vendor. An Amazon Web Services spokesperson said the company plans to expand its support for U.S. military operations as the Pentagon moves forward with AI deployment on classified networks. "For more than a decade, AWS has been committed to supporting our nation's military and ensuring that our warfighters and defense partners have access to the best technology at the best value," AWS spokesperson Tim Barrett told Decrypt. "We look forward to continuing to support the Department of [Defense's] modernization efforts, building AI solutions that help them accomplish their critical missions." The agreements are part of a broader push to integrate AI across military operations. In March 2025, the Pentagon contracted Scale AI to build the Thunderforge planning system, followed by deals with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT and another with rival firm xAI to incorporate its Grok AI model in July 2025. Last month, the Department of Defense reached a deal with Google for classified AI work, amid a report that the NSA began deploying Anthropic's Claude Mythos on classified networks despite an ongoing dispute with the company. "As mandated by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, the Department will continue to envelop our warfighters with advanced AI to meet the unprecedented emerging threats of tomorrow and to strengthen our Arsenal of Freedom," the Pentagon said.

Pentagon reaches agreements with leading AI companies

The Pentagon said on Friday it had reached agreements with seven AI companies to deploy their advanced capabilities on the Defense Department's classified networks as it seeks to diversify the range of AI companies working across the military. The statement notably excludes Anthropic, which has been in dispute with the Pentagon over guardrails for how the military could use its artificial intelligence tools. The Pentagon labeled the AI start-up, which is widely used across the Department of Defense, a supply-chain risk earlier this year, barring its use by the Pentagon and its ⁠contractors. SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, several of which already work with the Pentagon, will be integrated into the Pentagon's Impact Levels 6 and 7 network environments giving more of the military access to their products, the Pentagon said in a statement. The Pentagon's main AI platform GenAI.mil has been used by over 1.3 million Defense Department personnel, the agency noted in its release, after five months of operation. Google, which is already used within the Pentagon, has signed a deal enabling the Department of Defense to use its artificial intelligence models for classified work, a source told Reuters earlier this week. Defense Department CTO Emil Michael on Friday told CNBC that Anthropic is still a supply chain risk, but that Mythos, the company's artificial intelligence model with advanced cyber capabilities that created a stir among officials and Corporate America over its ability to supercharge hackers, is a "separate national security moment." U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that Anthropic was "shaping up" in the eyes of his administration, opening the door for the AI company to reverse its blacklisting at the Pentagon.

Pentagon Reaches Agreements With Leading AI Companies

WASHINGTON, May ⁠1 (Reuters) - ⁠The ⁠Pentagon said on Friday it had reached agreements with ⁠seven ⁠leading AI companies: SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web ⁠Services. "These ⁠agreements accelerate ⁠the transformation toward establishing the United ⁠States military as an ⁠AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our ⁠warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare," the ⁠Pentagon said in statement. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Pentagon Strikes Deal With Top AI Companies Following Anthropic Fight

Pentagon Strikes Deal With Top AI Companies Following Anthropic Fight The Defense Department on Friday announced it has struck agreements with seven of the world's top AI companies following its heated public battle with Anthropic. The companies that have agreed "to deploy their advanced AI capabilities on the Department's classified networks for lawful operational use" include SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services, the department said. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare," the Pentagon said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal noted that the agreement demonstrates that many AI giants were able to overcome concerns raised by Anthropic, which prompted its fight with the department. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei "an ideological lunatic who shouldn't have a sole decision-making over what we do" during a Senate hearing Thursday. The Pentagon labeled Anthropic a "supply chain risk," prompting the company to sue the department over the designation. Amodei has since visited the White House to meet with top administration officials in recognition of the company's powerful AI models.

Pentagon reaches agreements with leading AI companies - The Economic Times

The Pentagon has struck deals with seven major AI firms. These companies will integrate their advanced AI into the Defense Department's secure networks. This move aims to boost data analysis and improve decision-making for soldiers. It signals a shift towards an AI-first military. Meanwhile, Anthropic faces restrictions due to security concerns.The Pentagon said on Friday it had reached agreements with seven leading AI companies to deploy their advanced capabilities on the Defense Department's classified networks. SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services will be integrated ⁠into the ⁠Pentagon's Impact Levels 6 and 7 network environments to "streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments," the Pentagon said in a statement. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first ⁠fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of ⁠warfare". Another AI giant Anthropic has been in dispute with the Pentagon over guardrails for how the military could use its artificial intelligence tools, which led the Pentagon to label Anthropic a supply-chain risk last month, barring its use by the Pentagon and its contractors. The tech news site the Information reported on Tuesday that Google had joined a growing list of firms to sign a ⁠deal enabling the Department of Defense to use its artificial intelligence models for classified work. The agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google's AI for "any lawful government purpose," the report added, putting it alongside OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, which also have deals to supply AI models for classified use.

Pentagon Links With 7 AI Giants After Anthropic Dispute | PYMNTS.com

"The Department will continue to build an architecture that prevents AI vendor lock and ensures long-term flexibility for the Joint Force," the release said. "Access to a diverse suite of AI capabilities from across the resilient American technology stack will give warfighters the tools they need to act with confidence and safeguard the nation against any threat." This announcement came about two months after the White House told federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's AI products, escalating a dispute that started inside the Defense Department but later touched the broader government. It was reported at the time that the White House's decision came just ahead of a Pentagon deadline for Anthropic to agree that the military can use its models in "all lawful use cases," a concession the company refused. Anthropic reportedly wanted contract language that would prohibit use of its models for autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance. According to the Defense Department's Friday press release, its agreements with the seven AI companies enable the deployment of their AI capabilities "for lawful operational use." These capabilities will help the Pentagon streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding and augment warfighter decision-making, supporting warfighting, intelligence and enterprise operations, according to the release. The Department said in a Friday post on X that the agreements are "the latest initiative in our mandate to create an AI-FIRST WAR DEPARTMENT." Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and assistant to the President for science and technology, said in a Friday post on X: "We are committed to ensuring our warfighters have the best tools at their disposal." The Defense Department's official AI platform, GenAI.mil, has been used by 1.3 million Department personnel who have generated tens of millions of prompts and deployed hundreds of thousands of agents over the past five months, per the Friday press release. "Warfighters, civilians and contractors are putting these capabilities to practical use right now, cutting many tasks from months to days," the release said. The Defense Department announced in December 2025 that GenAI.mil was its "new bespoke AI platform" and that Google Cloud's Gemini was the first of several frontier AI capabilities to be housed on the platform. Google Cloud said at the time in a blog post that on GenAI.mil, the company's Gemini for Government AI platform would support unclassified business processes for 3 million civilian and military personnel. The Department said in its Friday press release that AI is "indispensable to national security" and that American leadership in the technology requires "a thriving domestic ecosystem of capable model developers that enable the full and effective use of their capabilities in support of Department missions."

Pentagon reaches agreements with leading AI companies

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Friday it had reached agreements with seven leading AI companies to deploy their advanced capabilities on the Defense Department's classified networks. SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services will be integrated into the Pentagon's Impact Levels 6 and 7 network environments to "streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments," the Pentagon said in a statement. "These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force and will strengthen our warfighters' ability to maintain decision superiority across all domains of warfare". Another AI giant Anthropic has been in dispute with the Pentagon over guardrails for how the military could use its artificial intelligence tools, which led the Pentagon to label Anthropic a supply-chain risk last month, barring its use by the Pentagon and its contractors. The tech news site the Information reported on Tuesday that Google had joined a growing ?list of firms to sign a deal enabling the Department of Defense to use its artificial intelligence models for classified work. The agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google's AI for "any lawful government purpose," the report added, putting it alongside OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, which also have deals to supply AI models for classified use. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Kevin Liffey)