The Pentagon has expanded its centralized AI platform with the addition of custom versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok, giving approximately 3 million Department of Defense civilian and military personnel access to the tools. The announcement was made in August 2026.
The two new tools — ChatGPT Mil and Grok for Government — join Google’s Gemini on GenAI.mil, a secure portal the Department of Defense launched last year to provide staff access to commercial AI models without routing sensitive data through standard consumer channels. Unlike their consumer counterparts, the military versions are exempt from the data collection practices common in commercial products.
GenAI.mil has already attracted more than 1.7 million unique users out of the department’s 3 million personnel, according to the Defense Department.
ChatGPT Mil, developed through OpenAI’s Government program, will support chat, files, projects, and custom GPTs, with a focus on document-heavy, unclassified tasks such as administrative work, logistics, planning, and policy. Grok for Government is positioned for broader operational use, with the Defense Department stating it will help military personnel “execute missions faster and with greater precision” across areas including acquisition research and supply-chain management. Grok is being delivered through SpaceX’s Starshield AI, a secure satellite network built on Starlink technology.
The expansion reflects the Pentagon’s broader push to integrate commercial AI tools to accelerate work while maintaining security. The additions also come amid the notable absence of Anthropic’s Claude. The Trump administration designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk — a label the company is currently contesting in court — after it declined to give the Pentagon unrestricted access to its AI tools and insisted on maintaining safety guardrails.
The Pentagon has also struck AI-related deals with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Reflection AI as part of its wider effort to build out its AI capabilities.
Source: TechCrunch