The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle East reportedly used Anthropic's AI to assess intelligence, identify targets, and simulate potential battle plans. Despite a six-month ban imposed by President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has demanded full access to Anthropic’s AI technology and stated that the military has no right to tell the military how to conduct its affairs. This tension escalated when Hegsetsh designated Anthropic a “supply-chain risk to national security”, effectively prohibiting all federal offices from working with the company. The company's $200 million contract with the Pentagon included a provision that prohibits the military from using Claude to guide lethal, fully autonomous weapons or conduct surreptitious surveillance of Americans.