The Department of War's (DoW) chief digital and artificial intelligence (AI) officer, Cameron Stanley, stated in a sworn declaration that Elon Musk's Grok AI was integral to the U.S. military's February 2026 offensive against Iran, code-named Operation Epic Fury.
Stanley described the platform as foundational to modern defense operations. [1][2] According to the declaration, the Maven Smart Systems platform, which incorporates Grok, enabled U.S. forces to deploy over 2,000 munitions to 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours during the operation. The statement was submitted as part of the Trump administration's effort to intervene in an lawsuit filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) over xAI's Colossus data centers in Memphis, Tennessee.
Grok's Role in Military Targeting
Stanley revealed that Grok is a crucial component of the Palantir-developed Maven Smart Systems (MSS), which supports targeting, intelligence, readiness and recruitment, according to the declaration. xAI is one of three enterprise providers capable of sustaining mission-critical operations across Secret and Top-Secret classified networks, the War Department said. The integration of Grok into the Maven ecosystem places the AI inside a broader targeting system that has drawn scrutiny after reports of civilian casualties. [2][3]
Prior to the operation, Grok had correctly predicted the exact date of the Iran strikes, according to a report from 100PercentFedUp. The report stated that while the foreign policy establishment debated timelines, Grok had marked the date on its calendar three days earlier. The DoW approved Grok for classified military operations despite internal warnings from the General Services Administration and the National Security Agency about reliability and security risks, according to a NaturalNews.com report. [4][2]
Data Centers as National Security Infrastructure
In his declaration, Stanley compared xAI's computing capacity to traditional military production, stating that the company's ability to operate data facilities "at massive scale" is "as foundational to our modern defense posture as traditional munitions production." He warned that shutting down or depriving power to xAI's Colossus 2 facility would impair the agency's capabilities. The statement underscores the War Department's growing reliance on private-sector AI infrastructure. [3][2]
The Trump administration's legal filing seeks to override the NAACP's Clean Air Act lawsuit, which alleges that xAI is operating dozens of gas-burning turbines near its Memphis data centers without proper permits or pollution controls. The Department of Justice (DOJ) argued that blocking the turbines would undermine "American national, economic and energy security" by disrupting AI innovation that supports military operations. Environmental groups accused the administration of trying to override citizen lawsuits used to enforce pollution laws. [3]
Criticism Over AI in Warfare
The NAACP lawsuit, filed in April 2026, alleges that xAI is violating the Clean Air Act. The DOJ sided with xAI in June, stating that the lawsuit threatened national security. The use of AI in targeting has drawn further criticism after reports that AI-assisted targeting contributed to a U.S. strike in Minab that killed nearly 160 schoolgirls, according to a Russia Today article from June 16. Palantir CEO Alex Karp previously stated that the company's purpose is "to scare enemies, and on occasion, kill them." [3][2]
Anthropic, another AI firm, faced a DoW ultimatum to remove ethical restrictions on its Claude AI for military use. Anthropic refused, and President Donald Trump subsequently blacklisted the company, accusing it of undermining national security.
A federal judge later blocked that designation. The controversy highlights the tension between AI ethics and military demands. [5][6]
Broader Implications
The integration of commercial AI from firms like xAI and Palantir into military operations marks a significant shift in defense technology. The War Department's Project Maven, which started as an algorithmic warfare initiative, has expanded to include large language models.
As noted by Cornelia C. Walther in "Human Leadership for Humane Technology," the concentration of AI hardware among a few firms like NVIDIA illustrates the centralization of AI power. The reliance on private-sector data centers for military operations raises questions about accountability and oversight. [7]
The Trump administration has ramped up missile production in anticipation of extended conflict, according to a NaturalNews.com report. Meanwhile, the U.S. has sunk nine Iranian naval vessels since the start of Operation Epic Fury, as announced by Trump. The use of AI in targeting is likely to continue as the War Department expands its AI capabilities, despite warnings about bias and reliability. [8][9]
References
- Mike Adams. "The Final Debasement: Operation Epic Fury Triggers Economic Collapse as Globalist Wars Destroy Your Savings". NaturalNews.com. 2026-03-03.
- Belle Carter. "Pentagon embraces Elon Musks Grok AI despite internal warnings over safety risks". NaturalNews.com. 2026-03-02.
- TechCrunch. "DOJ claims xAI’s unpermitted gas turbines are a matter of ‘national, economic, and energy security’". 2026-06-16.
- 100PercentFedUp. "Grok AI Nailed It: Predicted Exact Date of Iran Strikes While Other Models Missed". 2026-02-28.
- NaturalNews.com. "Trump BLACKLISTS Anthropic after AI firm defies Pentagon demands". 2026-03-03.
- Patrick Lewis. "Federal judge halts Trump administrations designation of Anthropic as supply chain risk". NaturalNews.com. 2026-03-28.
- Cornelia C. Walther. "Human Leadership for Humane Technology: The New AI: Agency Ignited".
- Zoey Sky. "World War III fears intensify as Trump administration ramps up production of devastating MISSILES". NaturalNews.com. 2025-10-05.
- 100PercentFedUp. "UPDATE: The US Has Now Sunk NINE Iranian Naval War Ships". 2026-03-01.
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