Pentagon Brings Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS Into Classified AI Operations

The U.S. Department of Defense has signed agreements with Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Reflection AI to deploy their artificial intelligence technology on classified military networks. The deals, announced Friday, follow similar pacts with Google, SpaceX, and OpenAI, and authorize what the Pentagon calls “lawful operational use” of the companies’ AI models and hardware.

In a statement, the Defense Department said the agreements “accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force,” giving warfighters faster access to decision-making tools across all combat domains. The Pentagon has been broadening its AI vendor base after a legal clash with Anthropic, which refused to let its models be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons without restrictions. That dispute remains in court.

Under the new contracts, AI systems will run on Impact Level 6 and 7 environments—the highest security classifications for data critical to national security. These systems require physical protection, strict access controls, and regular audits. The Pentagon says the move prevents vendor lock-in and ensures flexibility for joint military operations.

To date, more than 1.3 million Defense Department personnel have used GenAI.mil, the agency’s secure generative AI platform. That system provides large language models and other tools in government-approved cloud environments, primarily for unclassified tasks like research, document drafting, and data analysis.

Source: TechCrunch