2026-02-28 14:34:52

AI vs The War Department — Full Breakdown

In July 2025, the Pentagon awarded up to $200M each to Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and xAI to prototype frontier AI for national security.
The Pentagon demanded full, unrestricted access to Claude for ALL lawful uses. Anthropic refused to lift two specific restrictions:
1. No domestic mass surveillance of American citizens
2. No fully autonomous weapons (AI deciding to kill without human in the loop)
TIMELINE
> Tuesday — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets Dario Amodei at the Pentagon. Gives him until Friday 5:01 PM ET to sign a document granting full unrestricted access. Ultimatum.
> Thursday — Amodei publicly refuses.
> Friday 5:00 PM — Deadline passes. Anthropic doesn't budge.
> Friday — Trump posts on Truth Social ordering ALL federal agencies to immediately cease using Anthropic. 6-month phaseout.
> Friday — Hegseth designates Anthropic a "Supply-Chain Risk to National Security." Blacklisted from all military contracts. No contractor doing business with the military can work with Anthropic.

> Hours later — Sam Altman announces OpenAI has reached a deal with the Department of War to deploy on classified networks. Takes the contract.

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