Pentagon moves to designate Anthropic as a supply-chain risk | TechCrunch

In Brief Posted: 1:53 PM PST · February 27, 2026 Image Credits:Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Russell Brandom Pentagon moves to designate Anthropic as a supply-chain risk In a post on Truth Social, President Trump directed federal agencies to cease use of all Anthropic products after the company’s public dispute with the Department of Defense. The president allowed for a six-month phase-out period for departments using the products, but emphasized that Anthropic was no longer welcome as a federal contractor. “We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again,” the president wrote in the post. pic.twitter.com/B51SWfn81N— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 27, 2026 Notably, the president’s post does not mention any plans to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk, as had been previously mentioned as a consequence. However, a subsequent tweet from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made good on the threat. “In conjunction with the President’s directive for the Federal Government to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology, I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security,” Secretary Hegseth wrote. “Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic.” The Pentagon dispute centered on Anthropic’s refusal to allow its AI models to be used to power either mass domestic surveillance ...