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Anthropic challenges Pentagon's 'national security risk' claim in court filings
21 Mar 2026

AI company Anthropic has filed two sworn declarations in a California federal court, pushing back against the Pentagon's claim that it poses an "unacceptable risk to national security."

The company argues that the US government's case is based on technical misunderstandings and claims not raised during months of negotiations.

The filings were submitted with Anthropic's reply brief in its lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DoD).

Background on the dispute and upcoming hearing
Legal proceedings

The dispute traces back to late February, when President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced their decision to sever ties with Anthropic.

This came after the latter refused to permit unrestricted military use of its AI technology.

The declarations were made by Sarah Heck, Anthropic's Head of Policy, and Thiyagu Ramasamy, the company's Head of Public Sector.

A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday before Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco.

Heck refutes military operation approval claim
Policy head's response

Heck, a former National Security Council official, has challenged the government's claim that Anthropic sought approval over military operations.

She said, "At no time during Anthropic's negotiations with the Department did I or any other Anthropic employee state that the company wanted that kind of role."

Heck also noted that concerns about potential disabling or altering of its technology mid-operation were never raised during negotiations.

Ramasamy addresses technology access concerns
Tech head's rebuttal

Ramasamy, who managed AI deployments for government customers at Amazon Web Services (AWS), refuted the government's claim that Anthropic could interfere with military operations by disabling technology or altering its behavior.

He said once Claude is deployed inside a government-secured system run by a third-party contractor, Anthropic has no access to it.

There is no remote kill switch, backdoor, or mechanism for unauthorized updates.

First Amendment violation claims and government's stance
Retaliation claim

Anthropic's lawsuit claims that the supply-chain risk designation is government retaliation for the company's publicly stated views on AI safety, violating the First Amendment.

The government has rejected this framing, saying Anthropic's refusal to allow all lawful military uses of its technology was a business decision, not protected speech.

It added that the designation was a straightforward national security call and not punishment for the company's views.