The National Security Agency

In 2026, the NSA tested Anthropic’s Mythos model to find vulnerabilities in Microsoft and other widely used software, extending its coverage from surveillance oversight into AI-era cyber defense.

Who they are

The National Security Agency appears in this coverage as the U.S. signals-intelligence and cybersecurity agency, repeatedly examined through the consequences and limits of its surveillance authorities, its technology procurement, and its role protecting government and commercial systems. Paul Nakasone features as the agency’s outgoing director during its move to formalize AI-security work.

The recent arc

Recent coverage peaked in 2023’s third and fourth quarters around Nakasone’s announcement of an NSA AI security center. Associated Press reported that an NSA study had identified protection of U.S. AI models as a national-security challenge, marking a shift in the agency’s news role from collection practices toward securing advanced technology. In parallel, Wired reported that the NSA was lobbying against an amendment that would bar it from buying location data from brokers without a warrant.

The more recent stories sharpen that transition but also expose institutional strain. Nextgov/FCW reported in November 2025 on a leadership vacuum and staff cuts said to weaken long-term cyber capabilities; Bloomberg then reported in May 2026 that the agency was testing Anthropic’s Mythos model for vulnerabilities in Microsoft products and other broadly used software. Earlier cloud-contract coverage also tied the agency to AWS and Microsoft, with Microsoft protesting the original award before the NSA re-awarded the contract to AWS.

The tension

Coverage centers on the NSA’s need to build cyber and AI defenses while operating under persistent privacy and legal scrutiny. Stories on halted “about the target” collection, improperly collected phone records, and a court finding that bulk metadata collection was illegal sit alongside the agency’s opposition to limits on buying location data; its technology posture also creates friction with vendors, as illustrated by the AWS award and Microsoft’s protest.

Why it matters

If the reported AI-security work continues despite the staffing and leadership concerns, the NSA could become an increasingly important intermediary between frontier-model providers, major software vendors, and U.S. national-security priorities. The coverage suggests that this expanded defensive role will not displace the older debate over surveillance authorities and warrantless access; instead, both questions may increasingly converge around the data and software systems on which AI depends.

Related: Paul Nakasone · Microsoft · Americans · NSA's outgoing director, Paul Nakasone, announces an AI security center, after an NSA study identified protecting US AI models as a national security challenge · NSA halts “about the target” collection, which picked up Americans' me