Companies hoping to sell AI products to the Pentagon can pitch them in videos no longer than five minutes. Through the Department of Defense’s Tradewinds program, accepted pitches enter a marketplace that may help government buyers move more quickly toward a purchase.
The process is designed to bring more technology companies into defense procurement. It also raises questions about how faster contracts are reviewed and tracked.
How Tradewinds works
Managed by the DoD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), Tradewinds asks companies to explain how their products address government “strategic focus areas.” Those areas change over time. A panel reviews submissions at least once a month and decides which products can appear in the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, where government officials can watch the videos.
Accepted products receive “post-competitive” status. Since many procurement rules require buyers to demonstrate competition, the designation can help officials meet that requirement and potentially shorten award timelines. A DoD official said the department has made awards through Tradewinds in less than a week in several instances.
OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are listed as participants. The companies declined to comment for the story.
AI priorities shift toward military operations
The marketplace has existed since late 2022, but the Trump administration has spoken more openly about buying and putting AI to use in the military. Its 2027 budget request to Congress asked for $1.5 trillion for the Department of Defense and cited “historic investments” in AI as a priority.
This year’s video pitches seek AI that can “enhance force lethality” and AI-enabled agents that can assist in joint targeting, including so-called kill chain execution. That emphasis differs from the final Tradewinds submissions cycle under the Biden administration, which sought products promoting “a culture of responsible AI” and safeguards for AI development and use. A DoD official said the 2026 topics were selected to align with a January 2026 AI strategy memo.
The change gives companies a clearer signal about the capabilities the department wants to buy. It also places the marketplace within a broader effort to make AI operational for military purposes.
Faster contracts, less visible spending
Tradewinds acceptance can make it easier for buyers to use special contracts known as “other transaction” agreements, or OTs. These agreements are not subject to some federal acquisition requirements. The Pentagon can spend up to $500 million on a single OT without notifying Congress.
Procurement experts describe OTs as fast and flexible, qualities that can appeal to startups facing a lengthy procurement process with no guaranteed contract at the end. But OT spending can be difficult to track. Some agencies do not publicly report it, and reported information can be hard to find on USASpending.gov and SAM.gov.
Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa pointed to concerns raised in reviews, including questionable costs, mishandling restricted information, weak oversight, reduced accountability and difficulty tracking outcomes. She worked to pass the Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, which requires the Department of Defense and other agencies to report OTs publicly. Agencies have three years to comply.
Public records show Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI have OTs with the Pentagon’s CDAO. A DoD official said Tradewinds was used alongside market analysis and research in the department’s AI acquisition strategy. The companies did not confirm whether the program was used for the specific agreements identified by WIRED.
Rebuilding a path between tech and defense
One goal of Tradewinds is to bring “nontraditional” companies into defense work, according to Will Roberts, a former acquisition lead for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, CDAO’s predecessor, who helped launch the effort.
Roberts and other defense professionals see the program against a history of consolidation. After the Cold War, the Pentagon encouraged defense companies to merge at a meeting known as the Last Supper, as Congress prepared to cut defense budgets. Roberts said the resulting concentration had a major effect on market competition.
At the same time, the personal computer boom gave Silicon Valley the ability to fund its own research and set priorities independently of military investment. The Pentagon once helped shape technologies such as the Internet and GPS, but Roberts said it has lost some of that influence as companies themselves invest billions of dollars in AI.
Tradewinds offers a route for companies to present products and for the military to find potential suppliers. Its fast path to procurement may help buyers act quickly, while public reporting rules and accessible records will matter for understanding where the resulting contracts lead.