Private sector, former military leaders urge Congress intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic dispute

A coalition of professionals across multiple sectors signed a letter March 5, urging Congress to investigate multiple facets of the ongoing fallout between the Department of Defense and Anthropic, including the designation of the company as a supply chain risk and the ramifications of using artificial intelligence for domestic surveillance and autonomous lethal weapons.

The 35 signatories — consisting of former military officials, industry advocates and private sector leaders — are asking congressional leadership to take action following the Pentagon’s retaliation against Anthropic after the company refused to relax its safety guardrails for agency use. 

The letter, addressed to Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., as well as Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., expresses concern with the Pentagon’s actions in the wake of its disagreement with Anthropic, which include blacklisting the company, setting a problematic precedent for other companies hoping to contract with the federal government, and attempting to coerce the company into compliance. 

The group also conveyed a unanimous position on the issue between the Pentagon and Anthropic: that AI should not operate lethal weapons without human oversight, and AI should not be used for mass domestic surveillance of Americans.

“They are not fringe positions,” the letter reads. “The prohibition on fully autonomous lethal weapons is consistent with the laws of armed conflict, including principles of distinction and proportionality codified in the Geneva Conventions. The prohibition on mass domestic surveillance is grounded in the Fourth Amendment and in binding U.S. treaty obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

The signatories ask Congress to establish clear statutory policy dictating how the government can use AI in domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, including boundaries and oversight structures. 

The group also requests that Congress use its oversight authority with regard to the supply chain risk designation the Pentagon imposed on Anthropic and consider legislative guardrails to designate supply chain risks in “protecting the United States from foreign threats, not disciplining American companies for disagreeing with the executive branch.”

While the signatories acknowledge the need to give the U.S. warfighter “every advantage,” they ask for congressional action to investigate and create policy to prevent both the misuse of AI in national security contexts and the abuse of excessive executive authority. 

“These are among the most consequential questions the United States will face in the coming decade,” the letter reads. “They deserve a proper democratic debate.” 

Following the termination of Anthropic’s Pentagon contract, President Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic products in government operations. Experts said that it would “take months” to replace each use case in which Anthropic’s software had been, and the letter’s signatories point out that blacklisting Anthropic and requiring other contractors and partners to sever ties weakens the U.S. global position as a leader in AI adoption.