Pentagon flags Anthropic as a supply chain risk
Anthropic said it has been formally notified by the United States Department of Defense that it has been designated a supply chain risk to U.S. national security, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
In a letter received on March 4, the Pentagon confirmed the designation, according to Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei.
“Yesterday Anthropic received a letter from the Department of War confirming that we have been designated as a supply chain risk to America’s national security,” Amodei said in a statement.
The company said the measure has a narrow scope and mainly affects the use of its AI model Claude in contracts directly tied to the Defense Department. Most customers and other uses of the system are not affected, Anthropic said.
“We do not believe this action is legally sound, and we see no choice but to challenge it in court,” Amodei said.
Anthropic added that the law behind the designation is intended to protect government supply chains rather than punish suppliers, and requires the least restrictive measures possible.
Despite the dispute, the company said it has held recent discussions with Pentagon officials on how its technology could continue to support the military within its safety limits. Anthropic said it has previously worked with the department on applications including intelligence analysis, operational planning, cyber operations, and simulation.
“Our most important priority right now is making sure that our warfighters and national security experts are not deprived of important tools in the middle of major combat operations,” noted Amodei.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that US President Donald Trump ordered the immediate halt to the use of technologies developed by Anthropic by all federal agencies.
