Google is reportedly in negotiations with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to allow the Pentagon to use its Gemini AI models in classified settings. This move comes as part of the DoD’s 2026 strategy, which emphasizes AI-first approaches to improve military operations. Notably, Google had previously stepped back from a Pentagon AI project in 2018 due to employee protests but has since resumed engagements in defense contracts, including providing its Gemini Agent Designer for unclassified workloads.

Google: Google develops the Gemini family of AI models, with recent updates like Gemini 3 enhancing reasoning, multimodality, and agentic capabilities for cloud, edge, and developer applications. It also releases open-source Gemma models derived from the same research to foster ecosystem adoption. Google is reportedly negotiating with the Department of Defense to deploy Gemini AI in classified settings, expanding from recent unclassified DoD contracts.
Department of Defense: The United States Department of Defense coordinates national security and military functions for the federal government. It recently adopted an AI-first strategy to accelerate integration of AI models across warfighting, intelligence, and enterprise operations. The DoD is in talks with Google to enable use of Gemini AI models within classified environments.

`json
{
“AI Acceleration”: “The Department of Defense aims to implement AI-first approaches as part of its strategy to enhance military operations.”,
“Rebuilding Ties”: “Google withdrew from a Pentagon AI initiative in 2018 due to employee objections but has since re-engaged with defense-related contracts.”
}
`