WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. President Donald Trump has issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 (NSPM 11), a directive aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in national security operations. The policy revokes AI guidelines from the Biden administration and orders the termination of government contracts with companies that restrict the government's use of their AI technology.
NSPM 11 outlines measures to streamline procurement, expand training initiatives, and enhance the security of AI systems within national security. The memorandum allows for strictly limited waivers for AI contract terminations in situations involving pressing operational needs. The policy does not name specific technology companies in its text.
Former Pentagon policy official Mike Horowitz said, "Most of the attention will go towards the memo's discussions about working with companies, which clearly reflects the ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and Anthropic." Jack Shanahan, who founded Project Maven and the Pentagon's Joint AI Center, stated, "Speed without proper test and evaluation is a catastrophe waiting to happen."
Under the new memorandum, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is tasked with submitting a revised version of DoDD 3000.09 within 90 days. DoDD 3000.09 is the Pentagon directive that governs autonomy in weapons systems. The last update to this directive occurred in 2023 under former President Joe Biden.
The administration previously canceled all federal contracts with Anthropic, citing the company as a supply chain risk. Anthropic challenged this cancellation in two separate lawsuits. Despite the contract termination, the administration authorized a waiver for the use of Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI model at the National Security Agency, where it is currently in use. In February, Anthropic questioned the reported use of its Claude model for planning combat operations against Venezuela and Iran. Nand Mulchandani, former CTO of the CIA and a Stanford Hoover Institution fellow, said, "The Anthropic thing was a contract issue that got out of hand."