Pentagon Threatens Anthropic Punishment

Source: Slashdot

Background

An anonymous reader reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is “close” to cutting business ties with Anthropic and designating the AI company a “supply chain risk.” According to a senior Pentagon official, this designation would require anyone doing business with the U.S. military to sever ties with Anthropic.

Pentagon Statements

The senior official said:

“It will be an enormous pain in the ass to disentangle, and we are going to make sure they pay a price for forcing our hand like this.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Axios:

“The Department of War’s relationship with Anthropic is being reviewed. Our nation requires that our partners be willing to help our warfighters win in any fight. Ultimately, this is about our troops and the safety of the American people.”

Anthropic’s Role in the Military

Anthropic’s Claude is currently the only AI model available in the military’s classified systems and is a world leader for many business applications. Pentagon officials have praised Claude’s capabilities.