Pentagon's Hegseth Issues Ultimatum to Anthropic for Unrestricted Military Access

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an ultimatum to AI firm Anthropic on February 24, 2026, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He demanded unrestricted military access to its Claude AI models by 5:01 p.m. Friday. 

Otherwise, the firm will face blacklisting as a supply chain risk and forced compliance via the Defense Production Act. 

The clash erupted after months of talks where Anthropic refused uses like autonomous weapons or mass surveillance; Hegseth met CEO Dario Amodei Tuesday, shifting from cordial to threats over national security needs. 

Anthropic, cleared for classified nets, risks $200M contracts; Pentagon calls its safeguards "woke" barriers to defense edge.

Pentagon Issues Ultimatum to Anthropic for Unrestricted Military Access

Pentagon’s Hegseth wants Claude for all lawful military apps, from missile defense to intel analysis, without Anthropic's ethical curbs on lethal autonomy or spying. 

Failure triggers Defense Production Act – used in COVID for vents – to mandate tweaks and priority contracts. Amodei held firm on "non-negotiable" red lines during the tense sit-down.

Hegseth Anthropic AI Clash Details

Anthropic, OpenAI offshoot, leads safe AI but irks DoD by blocking full access despite classified clearance. 

Elon Musk's xAI now rivals it; Pentagon fears over-reliance on one firm amid China race. Sources say talks stay "good faith," but the clock ticks to Friday.

Pete Hegseth AI Military Push

Trump nominee Hegseth looks to AI as a war-game changer, blasting the delay as “unacceptable” in rival battles. 

Anthropic made an offer for missile defense, but DoD insists on a complete removal of guardrails.

Anthropic Military Access Standoff Impacts

Blacklisting hurts contractors severely, such as Huawei bans; Act forces changes in models without safety nets.

Anthropic presses on, relying on negotiations; Pentagon readies xAI shift but values Claude's advantage. 

AI-military showdown reaches a peak – Friday will determine if Anthropic will bend or break.

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