The Pentagon officially excluded Anthropic from classified military networks Friday while awarding contracts to seven rival tech companies, escalating a bitter dispute over artificial intelligence weapons controls that now includes courtroom battles and presidential intervention.
Seven Companies In, One Shut Out
SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services will integrate their technology into the Defense Department’s most sensitive classified systems for mission planning and weapons targeting. The announcement pointedly omitted Anthropic, whose Claude AI model had been the only system previously authorized for classified military operations. The company remains locked in legal combat with the Pentagon after objecting to its technology being used for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons control.
Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s technology chief, told CNBC the department learned it was irresponsible to rely on a single partner. In February, President Trump ordered the government to immediately cease using Anthropic’s technology—a designation typically reserved for hostile foreign entities. The Pentagon labeled the AI startup a supply-chain risk, barring its use by military contractors nationwide.
In the unforgiving arena of realpolitik—where
Tensions Ease After White House Meeting
The conflict showed signs of cooling before Friday’s announcement. Trump said last week the administration would get along with Anthropic just fine after CEO Dario Amodei visited the White House for talks a spokesperson described as productive and constructive. Despite ongoing litigation, Anthropic’s Claude system remains operational in current military applications while the department transitions to alternative providers.
Battle-Tested Technology Already Deployed
The Pentagon’s official AI platform has served more than 1.3 million department personnel in five months, generating tens of millions of prompts. The new deals include both proprietary and open-source models, reducing dependence on commercial vendors. Project Maven, which evolved from controversial drone targeting software into full battlefield management, reportedly processed over 1,000 targets within 24 hours during recent operations against Iran. More than 600 Google employees demanded Monday their company reject the Pentagon deal, echoing 2018 protests that temporarily killed Google’s military AI work. Amazon Web Services committed to supporting military modernization efforts.