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Anthropic still flagged as risk to defense industrial base, US official says
The Pentagon and defense industry still view Anthropic as a security risk despite a judge's ruling that the department illegally punished the company.
The U.S. Defense Department continues to label Anthropic a "Supply Chain Risk," the under secretary of defense for research and engineering said, despite recent signals of improved relations with the Trump administration.
A federal judge ruled on August 27 that the Pentagon illegally punished Anthropic for criticizing the government, determining the decision was "illegal and baseless" in a major legal defeat for the department.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Axios that Anthropic is "back on the right side," adding, "we trust Anthropic"—remarks Emil Michael later posted on X.
Requests for comment from the Defense Department regarding the company's risk classification went unanswered, leaving the apparent discrepancy between Pentagon assessment and Commerce Secretary endorsement unresolved.
The discrepancy reveals persistent tension between the Trump administration's expressed confidence in Anthropic and the Pentagon's continued security concerns regarding the firm's role in the defense industrial base.