Defense experts defend Anthropic in letter to Congress, slam DoD for setting 'dangerous precedent'

A coalition of former defense and intelligence officials, along with various policy experts, has expressed strong discontent over the Pentagon's recent classification of Anthropic as a supply chain risk. In a letter addressed to Congress on Thursday, this bipartisan group of 30 members called for a thorough investigation into this controversial decision. The letter, disclosed to CNBC, highlights that the designation of a company as a supply chain risk is typically intended to safeguard the United States from foreign threats. However, the coalition criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's action as a significant shift that could have far-reaching implications. Hegseth's announcement came after an order from former President Donald Trump, which directed federal agencies to discontinue the use of Anthropic's services, particularly its popular Claude AI models. The signatories pointed out that penalizing a U.S. firm for maintaining safeguards against widespread domestic surveillance and autonomous weaponry constitutes a grave error. They believe the consequences of this decision extend well beyond the immediate issue at hand. Notable figures among the signatories include retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Donald Arthur and former assistant defense secretary Diana Banks Thompson, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a competitive edge in the ongoing AI race. The letter underscores that blacklisting a leading American AI company not only jeopardizes its future but also weakens the nation’s overall competitive standing in the technology sector. The group urged Congress to assert its oversight powers to prevent the misuse of executive authority and to establish legal frameworks that focus on protecting the U.S. from external threats rather than penalizing domestic companies for differing views. This letter follows closely behind a similar communication from the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), which represents major tech players, including Nvidia and Google. The ITI expressed that contract disputes should be resolved through dialogue or by selecting alternative providers through proper channels, emphasizing that emergency measures should only apply to true foreign adversaries. In light of the White House's directive, several defense technology firms have reportedly instructed their personnel to cease using Anthropic's Claude service, raising concerns about the broader impact on innovation in the AI field.