By Jason Nelson
4 min read
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.
“As we said when we first announced our agreement several months ago, we believe the people defending the United States should have the best tools in the world,” an OpenAI spokesperson told Decrypt.
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."
Critics warn that the Pentagon’s plan raises unresolved questions about oversight, transparency, and the potential risks of deploying AI in high-stakes military settings.
“The DoD announcement that it has agreed to deploy AI on classified networks raises more questions than it answers,” Greg Nojeim, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Security and Surveillance Project, told Decrypt. “How will DoD use the AI that it deploys, and how will it ensure that such use does not result in errant decisions with lethal impact? Will it use AI to further supercharge surveillance, including surveillance of Americans? This announcement only underlines the need for more transparency about the DoD’s use and oversight of AI.”
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.
SpaceX, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.
Editor's note: This story was updated after publication to add comments.
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