President Trump claims that Anthropic's left-wing fanatics have attempted to control the U.S. military, and orders the severance of ties. Secretary of Defense Hegseth will designate Anthropic as a 'supply chain risk.'



President Donald Trump has ordered all government agencies to sever ties with Anthropic, stating, 'We cannot allow a company with radical left-wing ideology to try to control how our great military fights and wins.' Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to designate Anthropic as a 'supply chain risk to national security.'

Truth Details | Truth Social

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116144552969293195

Anthropic's AI, 'Claude,' has a proven track record of use within the U.S. military and was reportedly used in the U.S. military's January 2026 operation to capture President Maduro . However, Anthropic prohibits Claude from promoting violence, weapons development, and surveillance activities, imposing restrictions on Claude's behavior. Secretary of Defense Hegseth has asked Anthropic to lift the restrictions on Claude, and on February 24, 2026, he met with CEO Dario Amodei and strongly demanded the lifting of the restrictions, stating, 'If you do not lift the restrictions on Claude at the request of the military, we will either force you to lift the restrictions in accordance with the law or terminate your contract and sever our relationship.'

Defense Secretary Hegseth warns Anthropic to either lift Claude's restrictions or cut ties - GIGAZINE



Secretary of Defense Hegseth had set a deadline of February 27, 2026 for Anthropic to respond, but on February 26, 2026 local time, CEO Amodei indicated his intention to reject the Department of Defense's request. In a statement, CEO Amodei argued that AI should not be used for 'mass domestic surveillance' or 'fully autonomous weapons.'

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei rejects Pentagon request over AI security issues - GIGAZINE


by Fortune Brainstorm Tech

Following Amodei's statement, President Trump posted on Truth Social, 'A radical left-leaning company cannot be allowed to try to control how our great military fights and wins. 'Anthropic's left-wing fanatics have tried to force the Department of War into following Anthropic's terms of service instead of the Constitution, a tragic mistake. Anthropic's selfishness is putting American lives and our national security at risk,' he said, ordering all government agencies to suspend use of Anthropic products.



Secretary of Defense Hegseth also updated his X (formerly Twitter) account on February 28, 2026, claiming, 'Anthropic has demonstrated a masterclass in arrogance and betrayal. This is a textbook example of how not to do business with the U.S. government and the Pentagon.' He then stated, 'I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security. This designation is effective immediately, and all contractors, suppliers, and partners doing business with the U.S. military must not engage in any commercial activity with Anthropic. Anthropic may provide services to the Department of War for up to six months to enable a 'seamless transition to better, more patriotic service.'' He stated that he would designate Anthropic as a 'supply chain risk.'




Secretary of Defense Hegseth stated, 'Anthropic and its CEO, Amodei, have used the hypocritical rhetoric of 'effective altruism' to pressure the U.S. military into submission. This puts Silicon Valley ideology above the lives of American people. 'Anthropic's flawed, altruistic terms of service do not trump the safety, readiness, and lives of U.S. troops. 'Anthropic's goal is clearly to 'gain veto power over U.S. military operational decisions,' and that is unacceptable.'

In response to Secretary of Defense Hegseth's remarks, Anthropic issued a statement saying, 'We have been clear that we will support all lawful uses of AI for national security purposes, with two limited exceptions: 'massive domestic surveillance' and 'fully autonomous weapons.' To our knowledge, none of the exceptions have affected government missions.' 'We believe the supply chain risk designation is legally inappropriate and sets a dangerous precedent for any American company negotiating with the government. No threats or penalties from the Department of War will change our position on 'massive domestic surveillance' and 'fully autonomous weapons.' We will challenge all supply chain risk designations in court.'

Statement on the comments from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth \ Anthropic
https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-comments-secretary-war



Anthropic explains its reasons for maintaining restrictions on 'mass domestic surveillance' and 'fully autonomous weapons': 'First, current state-of-the-art AI models are not trustworthy enough to operate fully autonomous weapons. Allowing current AI models to be used to operate fully autonomous weapons would put American combatants and civilians at risk. Second, we believe that mass domestic surveillance of American citizens is a violation of their fundamental human rights.'

Secretary Hegseth also claims that 'companies that do business with the U.S. military will be restricted from doing business with Anthropic,' but Anthropic says 'Secretary Hegseth has no legal authority to back up his statements.' He also clarified that neither individual nor corporate users of Claude will be affected.

On February 28, 2026, OpenAI agreed to a contract with the Department of Defense on behalf of Anthropic. At the time of the contract, OpenAI notified the Department of Defense that 'Anthropic should not be designated as a supply chain risk.'




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OpenAI agrees to AI contract with Department of Defense, shortly after Anthropic negotiations collapse - GIGAZINE



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