In the conflict with Anthropic, Hegseth is once again taking a special interest in the problem of illegal orders
Published
February 26, 2026 6:30AM (EST)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a visit to Sierra Space in Louisville, Colorado on Monday, February 23, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The federal government is expanding its feud with those who have a problem with illegal orders. This time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is threatening to invoke the Defense Production Act to force Anthropic, the maker of the Claude artificial intelligence model, to tailor it to the Pentagon’s desires beyond the red lines set by the company, which include forbidding the mass surveillance of Americans and fully-autonomous drone swarms.
