Anthropic Statement on Department of War Supply Chain Risk Designation

Anthropic has announced it will legally challenge a move by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to designate the company as a supply chain risk. This action stems from an impasse in negotiations regarding two specific restrictions Anthropic placed on the use of its AI model, Claude: the prohibition of mass domestic surveillance of Americans and the use of Claude in fully autonomous weapons.

Conflict Over AI Use Restrictions

Anthropic maintains that it supports all lawful uses of AI for national security, but refuses to lift two narrow exceptions to the use of Claude. The company argues that these exceptions have not impacted any government missions to date.

Anthropic justifies these restrictions based on two primary concerns:

• Reliability and Safety: The company asserts that current frontier AI models are not reliable enough for use in fully autonomous weapons, and that such use would endanger both civilians and American warfighters.
• Fundamental Rights: Anthropic states that mass domestic surveillance of Americans constitutes a violation of fundamental rights.

Legal and Precedent Implications

Anthropic describes the designation as an "unprecedented action" that has historically been reserved for adversaries of the United States rather than American companies. The company argues that the designation is legally unsound and sets a dangerous precedent for any American company negotiating with the government.

Despite the designation, Anthropic notes that it has supported American warfighters since June 2024 as the first frontier AI company to deploy models in the US government’s classified networks.

Impact on Customers and Contractors

Anthropic clarifies that a supply chain risk designation under 10 USC 3252 only extends to the use of Claude within Department of War contracts. The company states that Secretary Hegseth does not have the statutory authority to restrict contractors from doing business with Anthropic for non-military purposes.

Customer access is affected as follows:

• Individual and Commercial Customers: Access to Claude via the API, claude.ai, or other Anthropic products remains completely unaffected.
• Department of War Contractors: If formally adopted, the designation would only restrict the use of Claude for work specifically performed under Department of War contracts. Use of Claude for any other purpose remains unaffected.

Anthropic has stated that no amount of intimidation or punishment from the Department of War will change its position on the two specified exceptions.