Claude AI Under Pentagon Scrutiny

The Pentagon contacted Boeing Defense, Space and Security and Lockheed Martin on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2026, to assess their exposure to Anthropic’s Claude AI model, sources told Axios. Boeing confirmed it has no active contracts with Anthropic, and Lockheed acknowledged the inquiry was "ahead of a potential supply chain risk declaration." The Defense Department plans to extend the survey to all major defense contractors that supply fighter jets and weapons systems.

Claude is currently the only AI model running in classified military systems. It was used during the operation to capture Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 through Anthropic’s partnership with Palantir. The Pentagon is satisfied with Claude’s performance but is frustrated that Anthropic has refused to remove safeguards for military use beyond its ethical constraints, including mass surveillance of Americans or autonomous weapon deployment. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told CEO Dario Amodei to agree to the Pentagon’s terms by 5:01 p.m. Friday or face either the Defense Production Act mandate or supply chain risk designation.

An Anthropic spokesperson said the meeting was "a continuation of the good-faith conversations about our usage policy to ensure Anthropic can continue to support the government's national security mission in line with what our models can reliably and responsibly do." Channel 12 noted that the supply chain designation would complicate operations for contractors that rely on Claude but could preserve military access if enforced. The Pentagon said it is "preparing to execute on any decision that the secretary might make on Friday regarding Anthropic." A senior defense official added, "It will be an enormous pain in the ass to disentangle, and we are going to make sure they pay a price for forcing our hand like this."

Anthropic has been expanding in 2026, securing funding and deepening corporate integration. The supply chain risk label could reduce adoption by government contractors, but Anthropic may benefit in perception as a company standing firm on ethical AI use. Elon Musk’s xAI has signed a deal for military classified systems under the "all lawful use" standard, and Google and OpenAI are negotiating similar arrangements. Sources familiar said Claude is the most capable model for certain military tasks, though Google's Gemini is a strong alternative.