The Pentagon is integrating ChatGPT and Grok into its GenAI.mil platform, enhancing access to advanced AI tools for military personnel and civilian employees. This expansion allows users to manage Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) at Impact Level 5 (IL5), a classification that ensures a higher level of security for sensitive data. The initiative reflects the Department of War’s commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence in operational environments.
The department said the platform now has 1.7 million users among its 3 million-strong workforce, including military members and civilians. The move follows contracts worth up to $200 million each that the department awarded to OpenAI and Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI for AI tools. The Department of War announced Monday that the military versions of ChatGPT and Grok will join GenAI.mil, which launched in December with access only to a specialised version of Google’s Gemini.
“ChatGPT Mil brings a familiar commercial experience into the Department’s secure environment, tailored to warfighter needs,” the Pentagon said in a press release. Google and Anthropic also received contracts at the time.
ChatGPT Mil is being provided through OpenAI for Government, an initiative launched last summer to bring the company’s AI products to government workers.
The Pentagon said the version available through GenAI.mil is designed for its secure environment and tailored to military needs. “ChatGPT on GenAI.mil will make unclassified work throughout the Department more efficient, freeing up time and resources so DoW personnel can focus on the mission,” Joe Larson, vice president and head of government at OpenAI, said in a statement to Fortune.
What ChatGPT Mil will offer military users
Service members will be able to use the specialised versions of ChatGPT and Grok for CUI at Impact Level 5. Hegseth had previously instructed department personnel to incorporate AI into their routine work when GenAI.mil launched in December.
ChatGPT Mil will keep data within its environment and will not use it to train its models, the Pentagon said. A person familiar with OpenAI’s uses said these areas could benefit from ChatGPT’s ability to process large amounts of information. The Department of War said the system can support several operational tasks, including market research analysis for acquisition professionals and supply-chain management for logisticians. The department said the technology will enable “the Joint Force to execute missions faster and with greater precision across numerous operational contexts, ranging from market research analysis for acquisition professionals to supply-chain management for logisticians. The effort follows the White House AI Action Plan, which says, “The United States must aggressively adopt AI within its Armed Forces if it is to maintain its global military preeminence. A War Department official said the military is moving toward an “AI-first” mentality that will change how it fights, thinks and organises. In February, US President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology, while Hegseth said he would designate the company a “supply-chain risk.
IL5 refers to sensitive US government information that is not classified but requires additional security controls. Much of the military’s work remains unclassified and involves routine, document-heavy tasks in areas such as human resources, logistics and contracting. The Pentagon’s version of Grok, called Starshield AI’s Grok for Government, will provide access to deep thinking, inference, and different reasoning settings, including auto, fast and expert. The rollout comes as War Secretary Pete Hegseth pushes to make AI part of the Pentagon’s daily work. “I expect every member of the Department to log in, learn it, and incorporate it into your workflows immediately. AI should be in your battle rhythm every single day,” Hegseth wrote in a December memo. Anthropic’s Claude is notably absent from the latest additions. Anthropic sued the government a month later. Last week, a judge ruled that the Department of War had acted unlawfully by designating Anthropic a supply-chain risk. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.
Earlier, the company disputed the Department of War’s restrictions on using its technology for autonomous weapons and surveillance.