Anthropic a ‘Supply Chain Risk’: Pentagon Bars AI Startup

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Hegseth announced barring Anthropic from businesses with Pentagon and all suppliers of US Defence

By TRH Tech Desk

New Delhi, February 28, 2026 — AI Startup Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is now caught in crosshairs of Trumpism. US Secretary of the State Pete Hegseth has made it clear that the national security demands that “every model of Anthropic should be available to Department of Defence.”

“This week, Anthropic 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,” said Hegseth in a long post on X, setting a backdrop this stern warning to Anthropic CEO.

The public unravelling of a tug of war between Pentagon and Anthropic is unfolding after Amodei had met the officials of Department of Defence. Amodei in his subsequent interviews had asserted that Anthropic model will not be used for “mass surveillance.” Pentagon per reports is insisting on “full access to Anthropic models” for all defence purposes, including mass surveillance if needed.

“Our position has never wavered and will never waver: the Department of War must have full, unrestricted access to Anthropic’s models for every LAWFUL purpose in defense of the Republic,” said Hegseth in his X post.

Hegseth accused Amodei of “duplicity.” “Cloaked in the sanctimonious rhetoric of effective altruism, they have attempted to strong-arm the United States military into submission,” claimed Hegseth. He further accused Anthropic of “a cowardly act of corporate virtue-signaling that places Silicon Valley ideology above American lives.”

“The Terms of Service of Anthropic’s defective altruism will never outweigh the safety, the readiness, or the lives of American troops on the battlefield. Their true objective is unmistakable: to seize veto power over the operational decisions of the United States military,” claimed Hegseth, adding: “That is unacceptable.”

Dropping hints of simmering tension, Hegseth stressed that “the Commander-in-Chief and the American people alone will determine the destiny of our armed forces, not unelected tech executives.” “Anthropic’s stance is fundamentally incompatible with American principles. Their relationship with the United States Armed Forces and the Federal Government has therefore been permanently altered,” he added.

Hegseth announced that “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.”

This meant, Hegseth stated “no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic.”

Hegseth also asserted that “America’s war fighters will never be held hostage by the ideological whims of Big Tech. This decision is final.”