Pentagon Still Treats Anthropic as Supply Chain Risk Despite Court Ruling
US defense official says Anthropic remains a supply chain risk, despite a court ruling against the Pentagon and signals of a thaw.
The Pentagon continues to classify AI firm Anthropic as a "Supply Chain Risk" for the defense industrial base, according to a senior US defense official. Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday.
The statement comes just a day after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested a shift in the administration's stance. In an interview with Axios, Lutnick said Anthropic is "back on the right side" and that "we trust Anthropic."
Michael's post appears to push back on that notion, reaffirming the official position held by the Department of Defense and the broader defense industry. The designation has significant implications for Anthropic's ability to work with US military and defense contractors.
The renewed assertion follows a federal court ruling on August 27 that sided with Anthropic. The court determined that the Pentagon's decision to penalize the company was "illegal and baseless," and that it had unfairly punished Anthropic for criticizing the government.
The Defense Department has not yet responded to requests for comment on the discrepancy between the court's ruling and the continued risk designation.