Trump Designates New Advanced Weapons Supplier for US, Removes Former Partner
Jakarta — The Trump administration has redirected military artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation from Anthropic to OpenAI. This decision came after the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic as a “Supply Chain Risk to National Security.”
The decision requires all US Department of Defence vendors and contractors to declare that they do not use Anthropic’s AI models. Trump has ordered all federal agencies to immediately cease using the company’s technology.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that an agreement had been reached with the Department of Defence.
“Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of Defence (DoD) to deploy our models on their classified networks,” Altman wrote on platform X, cited from CNBC International, Monday (2 March 2026). “Throughout our interactions, the DoD has demonstrated deep respect for safety considerations and a desire to partner to achieve the best outcomes,” he added.
Altman stated in a memo to employees that OpenAI maintains the same “red lines” as Anthropic. In his post, he said the partnership remains constrained by strict safety principles.
“Our two most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapons systems,” Altman wrote.
He added that the government agreed to these principles and incorporated them into the formal agreement.
Previously, Anthropic was the first AI company to operate its models on the US military’s classified networks. However, contract negotiations collapsed after the company requested assurances that its technology would not be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass surveillance of American citizens.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Defence requested that Anthropic agree to the use of its models for all legally valid military use cases.
Anthropic stated it was “deeply saddened” by the Pentagon’s decision to label the company as a supply chain risk. The company said it would challenge the designation in court.
US Still Uses Anthropic AI to Attack Iran
In separate reporting, the Wall Street Journal cited that Anthropic’s AI tool is still being used in military operations against Iran, just hours after Trump announced the cessation of its use.
US Central Command in the Middle East has used Anthropic’s technology for intelligence assessments, target identification and battle scenario simulations, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal, cited from NDTV.
Anthropic’s Claude AI has also been reported in use in US military operations that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump’s major action against Anthropic came on Friday (27 February) when the company’s CEO, Dario Amodei, rejected Pentagon demands to allow the military to use his AI technology without restrictions.
Trump ordered most federal agencies to immediately cease using Anthropic AI, but gave the Pentagon six months to gradually remove the technology already embedded in military platforms.
“We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and we won’t do business with them again!” Trump said in a social media post, calling Anthropic’s decision a “very fatal mistake.”
He also called Anthropic employees “crazy left-wing people” and said “their selfishness endangers American lives and national security.”
According to the Republican Party leader, Anthropic made a mistake in trying to pressure the Pentagon.
Anthropic plans to challenge the Trump administration’s decision that designates it as a “supply chain risk” in court. Anthropic’s resistance makes it one of only a few companies directly confronting the second Trump presidency.
In a statement, Anthropic said “no intimidation or punishment from the DoD” would change its position on mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.
“We will challenge any supply chain risk designation in court,” it said.