By Micah Jonah
February 28, 2026
The United States Department of War has designated artificial intelligence firm Anthropic a supply chain risk to national security, effectively barring military contractors and partners from engaging in commercial activity with the company.
The announcement was made by the US Secretary of War in a strongly worded statement posted on social media, accusing Anthropic and its Chief Executive Officer, Dario Amodei, of attempting to restrict the Pentagon’s access to its AI models.
According to the statement, the Department of War insists it must have full and unrestricted access to Anthropic’s systems for all lawful defence purposes. The secretary described the company’s position as incompatible with national security priorities, alleging that it sought to impose limitations on operational military decisions.
“Our position has never wavered and will never waver,” the statement read, adding that the safety and readiness of American troops would not be subject to corporate policies.
The move follows a directive by President Donald Trump, instructing federal agencies to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology. The Department of War said the designation would take immediate effect, prohibiting any contractor, supplier or partner working with the US military from conducting business with the company.
However, Anthropic will continue to provide services to the department for a transition period of no more than six months to allow the government migrate to alternative providers.
The Secretary further stated that decisions regarding the nation’s armed forces would be determined by the Commander in Chief and the American people, not by private technology executives.
Anthropic has not issued a public response to the directive.
The development marks a dramatic escalation in tensions between the US government and segments of the technology industry, underscoring growing friction over how artificial intelligence tools should be deployed in military and national security operations.
