Pentagon Taps Seven AI Companies for Classified Work, Leaves Out Anthropic

The Department of Defense on Friday confirmed new agreements with seven technology companies to deploy artificial intelligence tools across its classified networks, marking a broad expansion of its AI partnerships while excluding Anthropic from the program. The companies selected—OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, Elon Musk’s xAI, and startup Reflection—will provide systems for what the Pentagon described as “lawful operational use.” Defense officials said the effort is aimed at building an “AI-first fighting force” and improving decision-making across military operations. The move significantly widens the Pentagon’s vendor base. Until recently, Anthropic’s Claude model had been the only AI system...