AI company Anthropic officially designated a 'supply chain risk to US national security'; Anthropic vows legal fight

Anthropic, an AI company known for developing AI technologies such as Claude, has been designated a 'supply chain risk to national security' by the US Department of Defense.

Where things stand with the Department of War \ Anthropic
https://www.anthropic.com/news/where-stand-department-war

Anthropic announced AI products for US intelligence and defense agencies in November 2024 and signed a large-scale contract with the Department of Defense in July 2025. However, Anthropic restricted the use of its AI for 'large-scale domestic surveillance' and 'fully autonomous weapons.' Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who disliked these restrictions, forced Anthropic to 'remove the restrictions or sever ties.'

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei announced on February 26, 2026, that he would reject Secretary of Defense Hegseth's request. As a result, on February 28, 2026, Japan time, President Donald Trump stated, 'Anthropic's left-wing fanatics have attempted to force the Department of War to comply with Anthropic's terms of service, not the Constitution,' and 'Anthropic's selfishness endangers the lives of the American people and our national security.' He ordered all government agencies to suspend use of Anthropic products. Secretary of Defense Hegseth also stated, '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 also announced that he had instructed the Department of Defense to designate Anthropic as a 'supply chain risk to national security.'

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' - GIGAZINE

According to a statement from CEO Amodei, the Department of Defense issued a letter on March 4, 2026, designating Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security. Amodei stated, 'We believe that the designation has no legal justification and that we have no choice but to challenge it in court,' making clear his intention to file a lawsuit to have the designation revoked.

Shortly after Anthropic's negotiations with the Department of Defense broke down, rival OpenAI agreed to a contract with the Department of Defense . Regarding this contract between OpenAI and the Department of Defense, CEO Amodei wrote in an email to employees, 'OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is falsely portraying himself as an emissary of peace,' 'OpenAI's contract with the Department of Defense is considered suspicious or questionable, and we are being portrayed as heroes,' and 'It works for some Twitter idiots, but that's irrelevant.' In his statement, Amodei said, 'I apologize for the internal email that was leaked to the press. This email was not leaked by Anthropic as a company, and I did not direct anyone else to leak it. The email was written within hours of the announcement of the DoD and OpenAI agreement. It does not reflect my considered views. It is also no longer applicable to the current situation, as it has been six days since it was posted.' While acknowledging the facts of the email, he emphasized that it does not represent the company's current position.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei calls OpenAI's message a complete lie, over Pentagon contract - GIGAZINE

President Trump has given government agencies six months to transition from Anthropic AI to other companies, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth has also approved maintaining Anthropic's services for up to six months for the Department of Defense's AI transition. In fact, Claude was reportedly used in the attack against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026.

Reports that the US military used the AI 'Claude' in a preemptive attack on Iran, immediately after declaring severance of ties with developer Anthropic - GIGAZINE