Pentagon Threatens Anthropic: Give Us Claude or Else
Defense Secretary Hegseth issued Anthropic a Friday ultimatum for full military access to Claude.
The Department of Defense is playing hardball with Anthropic. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a blunt ultimatum to CEO Dario Amodei: hand over unfettered access to Claude by Friday evening, or face serious consequences.
The threats aren't subtle. DoD said it's prepared to invoke the Defense Production Act — a wartime-era law that compels companies to prioritize government contracts — or slap Anthropic with a "supply chain risk" designation. Either move would be unprecedented against a major AI company.
The confrontation highlights growing tension between the national security apparatus and AI labs that have tried to maintain guardrails on their technology. Anthropic has historically positioned itself as the safety-focused alternative in the AI race.
Now the Pentagon is essentially saying safety considerations take a back seat to military needs. Friday's deadline looms.