Hegseth Threatens to Cut Anthropic from Pentagon Supply Chain

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to cut Anthropic from the Pentagon supply chain in a showdown with the company’s CEO, Dario Amodei. The dispute centers around Anthropic’s refusal to allow its AI to be used for mass-surveillance or autonomous-weapon applications, which Hegseth has framed as ‘woke AI’ and a constraint on the military’s ability to use the technology for ‘lawful’ purposes.

The Pentagon has demanded that Anthropic drop its internal safeguards and allow its AI to be used without restriction. Hegseth has threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act and label Anthropic a supply-chain risk if the company does not comply. This would effectively blacklist Anthropic from future DoD contracts and jeopardize its $14 billion annual revenue stream.

The deadline for Anthropic’s response is set for Friday, 28 Feb 2026, at 5:01 p.m. EST. The company has issued a statement saying it is having ‘productive conversations’ with the DoD, but the outcome of the dispute remains uncertain.

Sources