IC Technology & Surveillance — 2026-08-28

NSA Deputy Director Says Agency Wants Access to All Commercial AI Models Under New White House Directives

BLUFNSA's bid for access to every commercial frontier model converts the June executive order's voluntary testing framework into a de facto compliance expectation that few developers will publicly refuse.

NSA Deputy Director Tim Kosiba said Thursday that the agency wants access to "all the models" on the commercial market and is holding extensive discussions with leading AI developers, without naming which companies are involved 1. Kosiba tied the effort to a June executive order that directs national security agencies to build classified tests for advanced hacking capabilities and creates a voluntary program letting developers give the government pre-release access to qualifying models for up to 30 days, with NSA's director deciding which systems qualify 1. A related June national security directive separately instructed intelligence and defense agencies to form "deep, proactive partnerships" with industry and diversify suppliers rather than depend on one company 1. Kosiba did not disclose whether any developer has granted NSA access to an unreleased system, and he said human review will remain required to verify AI-assisted work complies with surveillance law and internal rules 1.

Analysis
NSA's push for blanket commercial-model access signals the pre-release testing regime under the June executive order is moving from policy text to operational fact, forcing frontier developers to weigh classified-testing cooperation against public-release timelines. Kosiba's refusal to name participating companies or confirm any grant of unreleased access keeps the program's actual reach unverified, and Government Executive stands as the sole outlet reporting his remarks with no wire or trade-press corroboration. The persistent human-review requirement signals NSA anticipates legal exposure from AI-assisted analysis under surveillance law rather than confidence that automation can operate independently. The pivot marks a reversal from June reporting that NSA lost access to an Anthropic model over export controls, though the rhetoric may reflect aspirational messaging ahead of industry negotiations rather than the voluntary program's true operational status.

1 sources

NSA wants access to all AI models, top official says - Government Executive