Pentagon expands military AI network

The U.S. Department of Defence has announced agreements with seven artificial intelligence companies to integrate advanced AI systems into its classified military networks, as part of a broader effort to expand the range of providers supporting defence operations, Reuters reports. 

According to a statement released on May 1, the Pentagon said it will deploy AI capabilities from SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Reflection AI into its Impact Levels 6 and 7 network environments. These systems are used for highly sensitive defence operations.

The move is intended to reduce reliance on any single supplier and avoid what officials described as “vendor lock-in,” while expanding access to AI tools used for logistics, planning, targeting, and other military functions.

Notably absent from the agreements is Anthropic, which has been in dispute with the Pentagon over safety restrictions and military use guardrails for its AI systems. The company was previously labeled a supply-chain risk by the Defence Department, effectively barring its use by Pentagon personnel and contractors.

Despite this, some defense personnel and contractors reportedly remain reluctant to abandon Anthropic’s tools, which they consider highly effective, even as internal directives require their removal over the coming months.

AI systems have become increasingly central to U.S. military operations. The Pentagon said its internal platform, GenAI.mil, has already been used by more than 1.3 million Defence Department personnel within five months of deployment.

By Sabina Mammadli