The Pentagon has reached agreements with several major technology companies to expand the use of advanced artificial intelligence tools on classified military networks, according to a Defense Department statement and two defense officials briefed on the matter.
New Agreements and Companies Involved
Nvidia Corp., Microsoft Corp., Reflection AI Inc., and Amazon.com Inc. have all newly struck agreements with the U.S. Defense Department for "lawful operational use," the statement said. On Friday, the Pentagon posted on social media that Oracle Corp. had also joined the roster of technology companies agreeing to deploy their AI tools on classified networks. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions.
Implications for Combat Operations
These deals provide the Pentagon with wide leeway to potentially use powerful advanced AI technologies for secret combat operations, such as assisting with targeting. The new terms of usage, including the phrase "lawful operational use," substantially water down some of the limits sought by Anthropic PBC that torpedoed its pact with the Pentagon earlier this year.
Background and Context
Many technology companies already provide AI tools to the U.S. military, but defense officials have been seeking to expand the terms of use since the fall of 2025. Other companies that have recently agreed to similar deals include SpaceX, OpenAI, and Google. Oracle's shares jumped 6.4% to US$171.64 in New York, marking their biggest intraday gain since April 14.
"These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force," the Pentagon statement said, marking the first official confirmation of a new accord with Google reported earlier this week.
Risks and Controversies
Several groups have highlighted the risks of relying on AI-assisted systems in support of life-and-death decisions. The effort to secure new deals for maximalist military use of advanced AI comes as the Pentagon races to develop viable alternatives to Anthropic'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.
On Thursday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described Anthropic's leader as an "ideological lunatic" and defended his department's use of AI. The Pentagon refused to heed Anthropic's redlines seeking to limit how the U.S. military can use AI in classified operations during recent renegotiations and sought to eject the company from all defense supply lines. Anthropic did not want its technology used for mass domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens or for fully autonomous weapons systems.
Industry Responses
The Pentagon negotiated its agreement with Amazon Web Services late into Thursday, according to two Pentagon officials. "AWS has been committed to supporting the U.S. military for more than a decade," said 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." Nvidia did not immediately provide comment, and a Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment. Representatives for Reflection and Oracle were not immediately available for comment.
