Microsoft and Amazon join Pentagon’s push to build AI-first military with classified network deals

The Pentagon has announced deals with leading AI companies, including Microsoft and Amazon, to deploy their technology in classified military networks. The agreements will give these companies' AI systems access to the military's most classified network environments. The effort is part of the Pentagon's push to build an 'AI-first fighting force'. Over 1.3 million Defense Department personnel have used GenAI.mil, the military's official AI platform, in just five months. The deals come as the Pentagon is locked in a legal battle with Anthropic, a leading AI lab. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently called Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei an 'ideological lunatic' during a Senate hearing.