President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is directing all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s AI tools. Shortly after the 79-year-old issued the order, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he was classifying the artificial intelligence startup as a supply chain risk. This ends weeks of debate between the Pentagon and Anthropic over how the military can use artificial intelligence in warfare.
“I’m directing every federal agency in the United States Government to immediately stop using Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and we will never do business with them again!” Trump said in a “Truth Society” post. He added that there would be a six-month phase-out period for the Department of Defense and other agencies using the company’s products.
supply chain risk
Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth lashed out at Anthropic and its CEO Dario Amodei. “This week, Anthropic delivered a master class in arrogance and betrayal, as well as a textbook case of how not to do business with the U.S. government or the Pentagon,” he wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“Our position has never wavered and will never waver: The War Department must have full, unfettered access to Anthropic’s models for every legitimate purpose of defending the Republic. Instead, @AnthropicAI and its CEO @DarioAmodei have chosen duplicity. Cloaked in the sanctimonious rhetoric of “effective altruism,” they seek to force-arm the U.S. military into submission — a cowardly act of corporate virtue that demonstrates the primacy of Silicon Valley ideology over American life.”
Anthropic has been designated a supply chain risk to national security, the Defense Secretary revealed.
Read more: Trump vs Anthropic: List of 5 Key AI Tools Banned from Pentagon, FEMA, USCIS
“Effective immediately, contractors, suppliers or partners doing business with the U.S. military are prohibited from conducting any commercial activities with Anthropic. Anthropic will continue to provide services to the Department of War for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to better, more patriotic service.”
What does the designation mean?
The Pentagon’s supply chain risk designation is typically reserved for companies in hostile countries, meaning defense contractors may be barred from deploying Anthropic’s AI as part of Pentagon work. The defense industrial base includes tens of thousands of contractors, including large publicly traded companies.
Anthropic won the Pentagon’s top contract last year, worth $200 million.
