The U.S. Department of Defense has formally stated that Anthropic represents an “unacceptable risk to national security,” escalating its dispute with the AI company as legal proceedings continue. The position was outlined in a federal court filing responding to Anthropic’s challenge against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to designate the firm a supply-chain risk.
The Department argued that concerns center on the possibility that Anthropic could alter or restrict its AI systems during critical military operations if internal policy limits are breached. The dispute follows tensions over a $200 million contract, where Anthropic resisted certain military uses of its technology.
Anthropic, led by CEO Dario Amodei, has maintained that it does not interfere with military decision-making, while legal representatives including Chris Mattei have questioned the evidentiary basis of the Pentagon’s claims.
