# Department of War AI Strategy 2026

**Type:** Policy Framework  
**Announced:** January 9, 2026  
**Authority:** Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth  
**Status:** Active (180-day implementation deadline: ~July 7, 2026)

## Overview

The January 9, 2026 Department of War Artificial Intelligence Strategy represents a structural transformation of the vendor-DoD relationship through two core mandates:

1. **'Any lawful use' language mandate:** All DoW contracts procuring AI services must incorporate standard 'any lawful use' language within 180 days
2. **Model usage freedom directive:** DoD must 'utilize models free from usage policy constraints that may limit lawful military applications'

## Structural Impact

The strategy eliminates any vendor restriction beyond what U.S. law already requires, including:
- Anthropic-style restrictions on autonomous weapons (beyond statutory requirements)
- Restrictions on surveillance of U.S. persons (beyond statutory requirements)
- Any responsible scaling policy restriction
- Any model usage policy not grounded in existing statute

## Competitive Logic

The strategy memo states it 'may move source selections toward update cadence, observed performance and willingness to support unconstrained lawful military uses of AI'—creating competitive advantage for companies accepting 'any lawful use' terms and market exclusion risk for companies maintaining safety restrictions.

## Implementation Timeline

- **January 9, 2026:** Strategy announced
- **~July 7, 2026:** 180-day deadline for all DoD AI contracts to contain 'any lawful use' language

## Downstream Governance Events

The January 9 strategy is the structural cause of:
- Anthropic supply chain designation (February 27, 2026)
- OpenAI DoD deal (February 28, 2026)
- Google DoD deal (April 2026)
- 7-company IL6/IL7 deals (May 1, 2026)
- Kalinowski resignation from OpenAI (March 7, 2026)
- Judge Lin preliminary injunction (March 26, 2026)

## Governance Mechanism

The strategy was implemented through executive/administrative action (strategy memo), not legislative authorization. No Congressional debate or public comment period preceded the mandate.

## Sources

- Department of War: "Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Department of War" (January 9, 2026)
- Holland & Knight: "Department of War's Artificial Intelligence-First Agenda: A New Era for Defense Contractors" (February 2026)
- Lawfare/Tillipman: "Military AI Policy by Contract: The Limits of Procurement as Governance" (March 10, 2026)