Catenaa, Saturday, May 02, 2026- The Pentagon has struck agreements with tech companies such as Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon for the expanded use of advanced AI tools on classified military networks.
Bloomberg News reported that Nvidia, Microsoft, Reflection AI, and Amazon have all newly struck agreements with the US Defense Department “for lawful operational use”.
On Friday, the Pentagon posted on X that Oracle Corp. had also joined the roster of technology companies that had agreed to deploy their AI tools on classified networks.
The 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 “lawful operational use,” substantially water down some of the limits sought by Anthropic PBC that torpedoed its pact with the Pentagon earlier this year.
Many of the technology companies already provide AI tools to the US military, but defense officials have been seeking to expand the terms of use since the fall of 2025.
Other technology companies that have recently agreed to similar deals include SpaceX, OpenAI, and Google. Oracle’s shares jumped 6.5% to $171.83 on Friday.
“These agreements accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force,” according to the Defense Department statement, which refers to the technology companies involved and which also marks the first official Pentagon confirmation of a new accord with Google reported earlier this week.
The effort to deliver new deals with technology companies for maximalist military use of advanced AI comes as the Pentagon is racing 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.
“This agreement reflects a shared commitment between the Department of War and Oracle to help ensure that the United States leads decisively in artificial intelligence, as a matter of ongoing global leadership and national security,” Kim Lynch, Executive Vice President of Oracle Government, Defense & Intelligence, said in a statement.
By bringing advanced AI into classified environments, we are translating innovation into operational advantage where and when it matters most.”
The Pentagon negotiated its agreement with Amazon Web Services late into Thursday, the report said.
AWS has been committed to supporting the US military for more than a decade, Tim Barrett, an AWS spokesperson, told Bloomberg. “We look forward to continuing to support the Department of War’s modernization efforts, building AI solutions that help them accomplish their critical missions.”
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 company didn’t want its technology used for mass domestic surveillance of US citizens or for fully autonomous weapons systems.
