Anthropic confronts the Pentagon: Amodei refuses to surrender and denounces the oppressive decision

Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, has just spoken out against the Trump administration’s unprecedented decision. Washington has branded his company a “risk to the US defense supply chain”, opening the way for an unprecedented legal battle between a major US technology firm and its own government.

A sudden break after eighteen months of cooperation

It all starts in 2024 with the signing of a $200 million contract between Anthropic and the Department of Defense. At the time, the company prided itself on being the first advanced AI company to operate on secret US military networks. A source of pride. A strong commercial argument.

Eighteen months later, the same treaty is at the heart of an open legal confrontation with Washington.

The problem is simple: the Pentagon wanted unrestricted access to Claude, Anthropic’s flagship model.

For its part, the company set two non-negotiable conditions, no integration into fully autonomous weapons systems, no mass domestic surveillance of American citizens. Months of private negotiations have changed nothing. The ultimatum set at 17:01 on Friday passed without agreement. Anthropic didn’t move.

The administration’s response was immediate and brutal. Pete Hegseth called Anthropic a “national security risk in supply chain matters,” a label usually reserved for foreign companies under hostile influence like Huawei or ZTE.

Several lawyers have already called the decision a dangerous precedent. Trump then hammered home the point on Truth Social in capital letters: all federal agencies must “Cease all use of anthropic technology IMMEDIATELY.”

Anthropic stands firm, benefits of OpenAI

In front of the CBS News cameras, Dario Amodei did not admit anything. Anthropic’s CEO called the Pentagon’s decision “unprecedented” and “criminal” and firmly reaffirmed the core of his position:

These are essential things for Americans: the right not to be spied on by the government, the right of our military officers to make their own decisions about war and not be entrusted entirely to machines.

He clarified that he was not opposed to automatic weapons in principle, but that current AI models are simply not reliable enough to operate without human supervision in a lethal context. He also urged Congress to quickly pass legislation regulating the use of AI in national surveillance programs.

Anthropic has announced that it will challenge the designation in court, citing Section 3252 of Title 10 of the US Code, which legally limits the scope of the designation to only Department of Defense contracts.

Meanwhile, OpenAI jumped at the chance. Just hours after Hegseth’s announcement, Sam Altman confirmed the signing of an agreement to deploy OpenAI models on US military networks. The online backlash was strong, with many seeing it as support for mass surveillance and the militarization of AI.

Anthropic thing her principles above her contracts. A risky bet, but in line with its mission set from the very beginning: to develop safe AI. The coming legal battle will show whether this stance is defensible against the US administrative machinery.

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