Anthropic sues Pentagon over unprecedented supply chain risk designation amid AI guardrails dispute
15 Sources
[1]
Anthropic sues US over national security blacklist
Brands Trump administration decision 'legally unsound' and has 'no choice but to challenge it in court' AI giant Anthropic says that it has "no choice" but to sue the US government after being officially designated a supply chain risk to national security. CEO Dario Amodei confirmed on Thursday
[2]
White House AI Memo Hits Issues Driving Anthropic-Pentagon Feud
The memo's language addresses some concerns raised by the Pentagon and Anthropic during contract negotiations, and some officials think it could offer a path for the Pentagon to voice concerns about Anthropic while keeping the firm's technology in military systems. White House officials are
[3]
Pentagon tech chief says Anthropic is still blacklisted, but Mythos is a separate issue
Emil Michael, under secretary of defense for research and engineering nominee for US President Donald Trump, during the Hill & Valley forum at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Defense Department CTO Emil Michael on Friday said Anthropic is still a supply chain
[4]
Pentagon keeps Anthropic barred despite Mythos interest
Emil Michael says agencies are evaluating the cybersecurity model, not deploying it Pentagon CTO Emil Michael pushed back on reports of a thaw in the department's relationship with Anthropic: The two are not getting back together, even as Mythos draws interest from government agencies. The DoD
[5]
Trump’s Potential New AI Executive Order May Take a Swipe at Anthropic
An executive order reportedly being mulled by President Donald Trump could deepenâ€"or, who knows, resolve?â€"its ongoing conflict with Anthropic. Yesterday I wrote about reports that Trump was working on creating an AI “working group†by executive order. This group would be made up of
[6]
Trump administration blocks Anthropic's Mythos rollout
The Trump administration has told Anthropic it disagrees with a controlled rollout that would bring its dangerous cyberattack-capable AI to roughly 120 organisations in total, even as the White House simultaneously explores an executive order to bring Anthropic back into federal government
[7]
Washington has a new Anthropic problem
Why it matters: That tension is shaping AI policy in real time, as the White House realizes it needs the company it's been fighting. Driving the news: The White House is inching toward welcoming Anthropic back into the government fold after months of animosity and legal battles with the Pentagon
[8]
White House against Anthropic expanding Mythos model access: report
San Francisco (United States) (AFP) - The White House is opposing Anthropic's plans to expand access to its new artificial intelligence model Mythos to 120 companies, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. President Donald Trump's administration and Anthropic had only recently started to mend
[9]
Pentagon inks AI procurement deals with seven companies, leaves out Anthropic - SiliconANGLE
Pentagon inks AI procurement deals with seven companies, leaves out Anthropic The U.S. Defense Department today announced that it has inked artificial intelligence procurement contracts with seven tech firms. The group includes Amazon Web Service Inc., Google LLC, Microsoft Corp., Nvidia Corp.,
[10]
White House, Pentagon drift apart on Anthropic fight
The White House and the Pentagon are taking significantly different approaches to how -- and whether -- the federal government uses Anthropic's artificial intelligence systems. As the White House warms up to the frontier AI company and the Pentagon digs its heels in against the firm, government
[11]
White House And Pentagon Clash Over Anthropic AI Use As Trump Says Deal Is 'Possible'
The White House and Pentagon are taking opposing positions on whether federal agencies should use Anthropic's artificial intelligence systems, escalating a dispute over national security risks and government access to advanced AI tools. Pentagon Moves To Restrict Anthropic The Pentagon
[12]
White House Crafts Plan to Bring Anthropic Back Into Government Fold | PYMNTS.com
The administration is drafting an execution action that could reverse the Office of Management and Budget's directive that limits the use of Anthropic products in the government, according to the report. The White House told Axios, per the report, that it works with frontier AI labs and other
[13]
Pentagon Keeps Anthropic Claude Ban, Separates Mythos Amid 'National Security' Concerns - Amazon.com (NAS
On Friday, the Pentagon's tech chief said Anthropic's Claude models remain a supply chain risk, and other departments might phase out their usage over the months. Emil Michael, on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday, highlighted that Mythos, the AI model, with its advanced cyber capabilities, could
[14]
White House Drafts Sweeping AI Guidelines Amid Anthropic Tensions
White House officials are working on developing an artificial intelligence policy that will outline requirements for AI usage across national security agencies. The memo, which touches on the ongoing dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic, encourages U.S. agencies to use multiple AI providers
[15]
White House fights Anthropic's plan to expand Mythos tool that experts fear could cause AI doomsday
The White House is reportedly fighting Anthropic's plan to expand access to Claude Mythos - a powerful AI tool that company execs have warned could cause a wave of hacks and terror attacks if it fell into the wrong hands. Anthropic recently proposed giving an additional 70 companies access to
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AI company Anthropic has filed a lawsuit against the US government after being designated a supply chain risk to national security—the first time a US company has received this classification. The Pentagon-Anthropic feud erupted when the company refused to remove safety guardrails that would have allowed military use of AI for fully autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance, leading President Trump to order all federal agencies to stop using its products.
Anthropic Challenges Unprecedented National Security Blacklist
AI company Anthropic has taken the extraordinary step of suing the US government after being officially designated a supply chain risk to national security, marking the first time an American company has received this classification typically reserved for foreign adversaries
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. CEO Dario Amodei confirmed that the Department of Defense notified the company of the decision on March 4 via letter, calling it "legally unsound" and stating the company had "no choice but to challenge it in court"1
. The designation effectively bars Anthropic from securing military contracts and has forced Pentagon contractors to sever business ties with the company.
Source: Gizmodo
Pentagon-Anthropic Feud Erupts Over AI Safety Guardrails
The relationship breakdown stems from Anthropic's refusal to let the government strip its AI safety guardrails, a move that would have allowed military use of AI for fully autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance
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. After Anthropic publicly stated it would not allow its technology to be used this way, President Donald Trump branded it "A RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY" on his social media platform, accusing it of trying to "strong-arm" the government and ordering all federal departments to stop using its products1
. Amodei emphasized that the company does not believe it should be involved in operational decision-making, stating "that is the role of the military," and that their only concerns relate to "high-level usage areas" around autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance1
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Source: New York Post
White House AI Memo Addresses Chain of Command Concerns
White House officials are preparing a wide-ranging AI policy memo that outlines requirements for AI deployment by national security agencies, touching on issues driving the bitter dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic
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. The draft memo urges US agencies to use multiple AI providers to avoid vulnerability from relying on a single vendor and calls for AI companies contracting with the Department of Defense to agree not to interfere with the military's chain of command2
. Some officials believe this White House AI memo could offer political cover for the Pentagon to quietly back down on its claim that Anthropic posed a supply chain risk, though a senior White House official stated the memo isn't designed to create any off-ramp in the conflict2
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Source: Benzinga
OpenAI Strikes Deal While Anthropic Remains Blacklisted
The dispute intensified after OpenAI announced a deal with the Department of Defense for military use of AI, claiming its agreement "has more guardrails than any previous agreement for AI deployments, including Anthropic's"
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. OpenAI pointed to enforceability factors including cloud-only deployment and cleared personnel kept in the loop, stating they "don't know why Anthropic could not reach this deal"1
. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined a six-month transition period for the Pentagon to phase out Anthropic, whose Claude Gov AI tools are used by Palantir Technologies in the Maven Smart System, an AI-enabled mission control platform that US armed forces have used in operations against Iran2
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Mythos Model Complicates National Security Landscape
Pentagon CTO Emil Michael stated that while Anthropic remains a supply chain risk, the company's Mythos model—an AI system with advanced cybersecurity capabilities—represents a "separate national security moment"
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. Michael explained that the Mythos model "has capabilities that are particular to finding cyber vulnerabilities and patching them," requiring government-wide evaluation to ensure networks are hardened3
. Despite reports of agencies like the National Security Agency accessing the Mythos model, Michael insisted this constitutes evaluation rather than operational deployment, stating "the NSA and Commerce evaluates all frontier AI models, including Chinese frontier models, to see what the capabilities are at the edge"4
. AI leaders from multiple firms were reportedly planning to meet at the White House to discuss Mythos and cybersecurity risks posed by emerging AI models4
.Potential Executive Order Could Deepen or Resolve Conflict
Reports suggest President Trump is considering an executive order that may prohibit companies from "interfering" with government uses of AI, which could either reinforce Anthropic's pariah status or attempt to resolve the matter
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. The order would reportedly create an AI working group made up of government officials and tech industry members to devise a review process for unreleased AI models5
. Meanwhile, AI companies Microsoft, xAI, and Google have signed deals allowing a Biden-created Commerce Department arm to inspect their new models prior to release, though Anthropic wasn't included in this recent round despite having signed a similar agreement in 20245
. Multiple lawsuits by Anthropic are playing out, with a federal appeals court declining the company's request to pause the Pentagon's supply chain risk designation while plans for a broader government ban remain temporarily blocked by a California judge2
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