It’s official: The Pentagon has called Anthropic a supply chain risk

The Department of Defense (DOD) has officially informed Anthropic Command that the company and its products have been designated as supply chain risks, Bloomberg reported, citing a senior department official.

The appointment comes after weeks of conflict between the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the Ministry of Defense. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has refused to allow the military to use its AI systems for mass surveillance of Americans or operate fully autonomous weapons without humans helping with targeting or firing decisions. The ministry said its use of artificial intelligence should not be limited to a private contractor.

Supply chain risk designations are typically reserved for foreign liabilities. The label requires any company or agency working with the Pentagon to confirm that it does not use anthropogenic models.

The Pentagon findings threaten to disrupt the company and its own operations. Anthropic was the only leading AI lab with systems ready for classification. The US military is currently relying on Claude in its campaign against Iran, as US forces use artificial intelligence tools to quickly manage data for their operations. Cloud is one of the key tools installed in Palantir’s Maven Smart System, which military operators in the Middle East rely on, according to Bloomberg.

Many critics say calling Anthropologie a supply chain risk over this dispute is an unprecedented move by the department. Dean Paul, Trump’s former White House artificial intelligence adviser, has referred to this designation as the “death rattle” of the American republic, arguing that the government has abandoned strategic clarity and respect in favor of “thuggish” tribalism that treats domestic innovators worse than their foreign adversaries.

Hundreds of employees from OpenAI and Google urged the Department of Defense to withdraw its designation, and called on Congress to reverse what could be seen as an inappropriate use of power against a US technology company. They also urged their leaders to stand together to continue to reject Defense Department demands to use their AI models for domestic mass surveillance and to “kill people autonomously without human supervision.”

TechCrunch has reached out to Anthropic for comment.

Amid the conflict, OpenAI entered into its own agreement with the department to allow the military to use its AI systems for “all lawful purposes.” Some company employees expressed concern about the deal’s vague wording, which could lead to exactly the kind of uses Anthropic was trying to avoid.

Amodei described the Defense Department’s actions as “retaliatory and punitive,” and reportedly said that his refusal to praise or donate to President Trump contributed to the dispute with the Pentagon. OpenAI President Greg Brockman has been a vocal supporter of Trump, recently donating $25 million to MAGA Inc. Super PAC.