The Pentagon’s push to turn the U.S. military into an “AI‑first fighting force” is uniting tech giants behind secretive defense work while deepening a rift with one of the sector’s most prominent holdouts, Anthropic.

Defense officials have signed agreements with seven major AI companies, including SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and startup Reflection, to integrate their systems into classified military networks for “any lawful use.”¹² Conservative coverage presents this primarily as a modernization milestone, emphasizing the Pentagon’s effort to integrate “advanced technology into U.S. military networks” and strengthen warfighting capabilities.¹

Liberal-leaning outlets, by contrast, stress the controversies and omissions. The Guardian underscores that the deals are meant to “accelerate the transformation toward establishing the United States military as an AI-first fighting force” and notes the Pentagon is requesting $54bn for autonomous weapons alone, without specifying how each firm’s tools will actually be used.² This framing foregrounds concerns about mass surveillance, autonomous lethal systems, and opaque public spending.

A central fault line is Anthropic. CNBC reports that Defense Department CTO Emil Michael continues to label Anthropic a “supply chain risk,” even as he calls its cyber-focused Mythos model a “separate national security moment” because of its ability to find and patch vulnerabilities.³ Anthropic refused to accept the Pentagon’s “any lawful use” clause, fearing misuse for “mass surveillance or autonomous lethal weapons,” and was consequently excluded from the new agreements.²³

Similarities and differences

Across the spectrum, there is broad acknowledgment that AI is now structurally embedded in U.S. defense planning: all sides agree the deals are sweeping and strategically significant.¹² The split lies in emphasis. Conservative coverage largely frames the partnerships as necessary to maintain “decision superiority across all domains of warfare,” with little focus on ethical risk.² Liberal outlets focus on governance gaps, the blacklisting of Anthropic, and the dangers of granting the Pentagon open‑ended “lawful use” of rapidly evolving AI systems.²³

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1. Washington Times — “Pentagon partners with major AI companies for use in classified networks.”

2. The Guardian — Pentagon inks deals with seven AI companies for “any lawful use” and an “AI-first fighting force,” with $54bn requested for autonomous weapons.

3. CNBC — Pentagon tech chief says Anthropic is “still a supply chain risk,” while its Mythos model is a “separate national security moment.”