US Secretary of Defense — Blunt-Force Backchannel Instrument
US Secretary of Defense (2025-). Issued Feb 27 2026 ultimatum to Anthropic: open Claude architecture for unrestricted military use by 5:01 PM or face immediate termination of a $200 million classified defense contract (awarded July 2025). Threatened Defense Production Act Title III invocation.
Designated Anthropic a 'Supply-Chain Risk to National Security' — a statutory designation typically reserved for foreign adversaries — with a simultaneous six-month grace period.
After Anthropic's refusal, OpenAI immediately stepped in to provide models on classified networks. WSJ subsequently confirmed DOD had been using Claude via Palantir for intelligence assessments, target identification, and battle-scenario simulation during Iran kinetic strikes and Venezuela operations. The Hegseth-Amodei conflict is the visible surface of a state-corporate backchannel that continued operating throughout.