NPR Expands Context on Anthropic-Pentagon Feud
The article has been significantly revised to provide more context on the escalating feud between Anthropic and the Pentagon. A key addition is the revelation that President Trump has ordered the U.S. government to stop using Anthropic's products and the Pentagon has designated the company a national security risk. This information, previously absent, adds depth to the story and highlights the severity of the conflict. The article also includes new details about the Pentagon's threats, including a six-month phaseout of Anthropic's products and a warning that the company will be blacklisted from lucrative government contracts. These changes provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding of the high-stakes dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon.
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By
Shannon Bond
,
Geoff Brumfiel
The Pentagon is seen from an airplane, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington.
Whether AI companies can set restrictions on how the government uses their technology has emerged as a major sticking point in recent months between Anthropic and the Trump administration.
"We cannot in good conscience accede to their request," he wrote in a lengthy statement.
"The @DeptofWar will ALWAYS adhere to the law but not bend to whims of any one for-profit tech company," he wrote.
Independent experts say the standoff is highly unusual in the world of Pentagon contracting.
"This is different for sure," said Jerry McGinn, director of the Center for the Industrial Base at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington DC think tank. "This is a very unusual, very public fight," he said.
− Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press hide caption
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he shares the "red lines" set by rival Anthropic restricting how the military uses AI models, amid Anthropic's escalating feud with the Pentagon.
+ Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press hide caption
President Trump ordered the U.S. government on Friday to stop using the artificial intelligence company Anthropic's products and the Pentagon moved to designate the company a national security risk, in a sharp escalation of a high-stakes fight over the military's use of AI.
− Technology Deadline looms as Anthropic rejects Pentagon demands it remove AI safeguards The Department of Defense has given Anthropic a deadline of 5:01 p.m.
+ The twin decisions cap an acrimonious dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon over whether the company could prohibit its tools from being used in mass surveillance of American citizens or to power autonomous weapon systems, as part of a military contract worth up to $200 million.
Technology Deadline looms as Anthropic rejects Pentagon demands it remove AI safeguards "The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution," Trump wrote on a Truth Social post.
− ET today to drop restrictions on its AI model, Claude, from being used for domestic mass surveillance or entirely autonomous weapons.
+ "Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic's technology.
− The Pentagon has said it doesn't intend to use AI in those ways, but requires AI companies to allow their models to be used "for all lawful purposes."
Defense officials say if Anthropic doesn't comply, it could lose its contract worth as much as $200 million with the U.S. military.
+ We don't need it, we don't want it, and will not do business with them again!"
He said there would be a six-month phaseout of Anthropic's products.
− Technology Hegseth threatens to blacklist Anthropic over 'woke AI' concerns The government has also threatened to invoke the Korean War-era Defense Production Act (DPA) to compel Anthropic to allow use of its tools and has, at the same time, warned it would label Anthropic a "supply chain risk," potentially blacklisting it from lucrative government contracts.
By wading into the standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon, Altman could complicate the Pentagon's efforts to replace Anthropic if it follows through on its threat to cancel the contract.
+ Technology Hegseth threatens to blacklist Anthropic over 'woke AI' concerns Trump's announcement came about an hour before a deadline set by the Pentagon, which had called on Anthropic to back down.
− OpenAI also has a Defense Department contract, along with Google, xAI, and Anthropic, but Anthropic was the first to be cleared for use on classified systems.
+ Shortly after the deadline passed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that he was labeling Anthropic a supply chain risk to national security, blacklisting it from working with the U.S. military or contractors.
− "I don't personally think the Pentagon should be threatening DPA against these companies," Altman told CNBC in an interview on Friday morning.
+ Paramount and Warner Bros' deal is about merging studios, and a whole lot more "In conjunction with the President's directive for the Federal Government to cease all use of Anthropic's technology, I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security.
− He said he thinks it's important for companies to work with the military "as long as it is going to comply with legal protections" and "the few red lines" that "we share with Anthropic and that other companies also independently agree with."
"For all the differences I have with Anthropic, I mostly trust them as a company, and I think they really do care about safety, and I've been happy that they've been supporting our warfighters," Altman added.
+ Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic," Hegseth wrote, using the Pentagon's "Department of War" rebranding.
− "I'm not sure where this is going to go."
In an internal note sent to staff on Thursday evening, Altman said OpenAI was seeking to negotiate a deal with the Pentagon to deploy its models in classified systems with exclusions preventing use for surveillance in the U.S.
+ "Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service."
Anthropic didn't respond to an immediate request for comment.
Defense Department officials had given Anthropic a deadline of 5:01 p.m.
− or to power autonomous weapons without human approval, according to a person familiar with the message who was not authorized to speak publicly.
+ ET on Friday to drop restrictions on its AI model, Claude, from being used for domestic mass surveillance or entirely autonomous weapons, or face losing its contract.
− The Wall Street Journal first reported Altman's note to staff.
+ The Pentagon has said it doesn't intend to use AI in those ways, but requires AI companies to allow their models to be used "for all lawful purposes."
The government had also threatened to invoke the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to compel Anthropic to allow use of its tools and, at the same time, warned it would label Anthropic a supply chain risk.
− The Defense Department didn't respond to a request for comment on Altman's statements.
+ In his post carrying out the latter threat, Hegseth said Anthropic had "delivered a master class in arrogance and betrayal as well as a textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government or the Pentagon." He accused the company of trying to "seize veto power over the operational decisions of the United States military."
He said the department would not waver from its position: "the Department of War must have full, unrestricted access to Anthropic's models for every LAWFUL purpose in defense of the Republic."
Politics SNL mocked her as a 'scary mom.' In the Senate, Katie Britt is an emerging dealmaker "America's warfighters will never be held hostage by the ideological whims of Big Tech. This decision is final," Hegseth concluded.
+ The government ban comes at a time when Anthropic is under heightened scrutiny, since the company, which is valued at $380 billion, is planning to go public this year.
While the Pentagon contract worth as much as $200 million is a relatively small portion of Anthropic's $14 billion in revenue, it's unclear how the friction with the administration will sit with investors or affect other deals the company has to license its AI model to non-government partners.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has pointed out that the company's valuation and revenue have only grown since it took a stand against Trump officials over how AI can be deployed on the battlefield.
− On Thursday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the Pentagon's threats over its contract would not make the company budge.
+ On Thursday, Amodei said the company would not budge in the face of the Pentagon's threats.
− "Anthropic understands that the Department of War, not private companies, makes military decisions.
+ A 2024 file photo of Dario Amodei, CEO and cofounder of Anthropic.
− We have never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner," he said, using the Pentagon's rebranded "Department of War" moniker.
+ Jeff Chiu/Associated Press hide caption
"Anthropic understands that the Department of War, not private companies, makes military decisions.
− But, he added, domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons are uses that are "simply outside the bounds of what today's technology can safely and reliably do."
Emil Michael, the Pentagon's undersecretary for research and engineering, shot back in a post on X, accusing Amodei of lying and having a "God-complex."
"He wants nothing more than to try to personally control the US Military and is ok putting our nation's safety at risk," Michael wrote.
+ We have never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner," he said.
+ But, he added, domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons are uses that are "simply outside the bounds of what today's technology can safely and reliably do."
Emil Michael, the Pentagon's undersecretary for research and engineering, shot back in a post on X on Thursday, accusing Amodei of lying and having a "God-complex."
"He wants nothing more than to try to personally control the US Military and is ok putting our nation's safety at risk," Michael wrote.
− In an interview with CBS News, Michael said federal law and Pentagon policies already bar the use of AI for domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons."
"At some level, you have to trust your military to do the right thing," he said.
+ In an late Thursday interview with CBS News, Michael said federal law and Pentagon policies already bar the use of AI for domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons."
"At some level, you have to trust your military to do the right thing," he said.
+ Any effort by the Pentagon to replace Anthropic could be complicated. Earlier on Friday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he shares Anthropic's "red lines" restricting military use of AI.
OpenAI, Google, and Elon Musk's xAI also have Defense Department contracts and have agreed to allow their AI tools to be used in any "lawful" scenarios. This week, xAI became the second company after Anthropic to be approved for use in classified settings.
Altman told CNBC on Friday morning that it's important for companies to work with the military "as long as it is going to comply with legal protections" and "the few red lines" that "we share with Anthropic and that other companies also independently agree with."
Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, testifying before a Senate committee in 2025. Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press hide caption
In an internal note sent to staff on Thursday evening, Altman said OpenAI was seeking to negotiate a deal with the Pentagon to deploy its models in classified systems with exclusions preventing use for surveillance in the U.S. or to power autonomous weapons without human approval, according to a person familiar with the message who was not authorized to speak publicly. The Wall Street Journal first reported Altman's note to staff.
The Defense Department didn't respond to a request for comment on Altman's statements.
− Pentagon contractors don't usually get to tell the Defense Department how their products and services can be used, he notes "because otherwise you'd be negotiating use cases for every contract, and that's not reasonable to expect."
At the same time, McGinn notes, artificial intelligence is a new and largely untested technology.
+ Pentagon contractors don't usually get to tell the Defense Department how their products and services can be used, he notes "because otherwise you'd be negotiating use cases for every contract, and that's not reasonable to expect."
At the same time, McGinn noted, artificial intelligence is a new and largely untested technology.
− "I think it's reflective of the nature of AI."
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+ "I think it's reflective of the nature of AI."
NPR's Bobby Allyn contributed to this report.
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