Pentagon Using AI for Iran Target Ranking and Battlefield Simulation, Lawmakers Demand Oversight

CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper confirmed AI systems are helping rank target lists and generate intelligence for Iran strikes. The military is using Anthropic's Claude for target analysis, intelligence generation, and battlefield simulation. Congressional lawmakers are pushing for oversight as the DOD allocated $13.4B for autonomy systems in FY2026, part of a broader $75B AI spend since 2016.