Pete Hegseth tells Anthropic to fall in line with DoD desires, or else

February 25, 2026

TL;DR

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to cut Anthropic from the Pentagon's supply chain.
The ultimatum requires Anthropic to agree to its technology being used in all lawful military applications by Friday.
The dispute arises from Anthropic's refusal to allow unfettered access for classified military use, including domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons.
Hegseth threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act if Anthropic does not comply, which would compel the Pentagon to use its technology.
Anthropic has expressed concerns about its models being used for lethal missions without human control and for mass domestic surveillance.
The company has a $200 million contract with the Defense Department and its Claude tool has been used in classified missions.
The Pentagon is seeking to replace Anthropic with other AI labs like Google, OpenAI, and Elon Musk's xAI.
Anthropic stated it is in good-faith conversations to support the government's national security mission responsibly.
The company may take legal action if the Defense Department follows through with its threat.

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