A senior Pentagon official has revealed that Elon Musk’s Grok artificial intelligence chatbot played a significant role in U.S. military operations during the recent conflict with Iran, highlighting the growing influence of AI on modern warfare.
In a sworn court declaration, Cameron Stanley, the Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, said xAI’s specialized “Grok Gov Model” helped U.S. forces dramatically accelerate military planning and targeting during Operation Epic Fury.
According to Stanley, the AI system enabled the deployment of more than 2,000 munitions against 2,000 separate targets within a 96-hour period, significantly increasing operational efficiency during the campaign.
The statement was submitted as part of a legal effort by the U.S. Department of Justice to protect xAI’s Colossus 2 data centre in Memphis, Tennessee. The facility is currently facing a lawsuit from the NAACP, which alleges the company is violating environmental regulations through air pollution.
The Justice Department argues the data centre is critical to national security, citing its role in supporting military operations, intelligence analysis, readiness planning, logistics, recruitment and battlefield decision-making.
Stanley said the Grok Gov Model provides capabilities not currently available in other leading AI systems, including military planning workflows, intelligence report generation, predictive logistics analysis, adversary assessment, personnel management and medical supply coordination.
The disclosure comes as lawmakers continue to debate the role of artificial intelligence in national defence and combat operations.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced legislation that would prohibit the use of large language models in decisions involving the use of force, detention or other high-consequence actions without meaningful human oversight.
Gillibrand warned that while AI can strengthen military capabilities, critical decisions affecting national security and the lives of service members must remain under human control. She argued that deploying powerful AI systems without sufficient safeguards could create significant risks and unintended consequences.
The Pentagon’s acknowledgment of Grok’s operational role marks one of the clearest public examples to date of advanced generative AI being integrated into real-world military planning and combat support missions.
