White House officials are preparing a wide-ranging artificial intelligence policy memo that outlines requirements for AI deployment by national security agencies, some of which touch on issues driving the bitter dispute between the Pentagon and Anthropic PBC over military use of the firm’s technology, according to people familiar with the matter.
In the works for months, the draft memo urges US agencies to use multiple AI providers to avoid the vulnerability of relying on a single vendor, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations. It also calls for AI companies that contract with the Department of Defense to agree not to interfere with the military’s chain of command, where the president has the final say, the people said.
The memo, which is subject to change and covers an array of related priorities, is intended to replace the Biden administration’s national security memorandum for AI and isn’t specific to Anthropic or the Pentagon, the people emphasized.
Still, with its call for a range of AI vendors, some officials think the document could offer political cover for the Pentagon to quietly back down on its claim that Anthropic — until recently the only AI company approved for classified work — posed a threat to the supply chain by insisting on safeguards for use of its products.
A senior White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity owing to the sensitivity of the matter, said the memo isn’t designed to create any kind of off-ramp in the Pentagon’s conflict with Anthropic. Rather, the official said, the administration aims to onboard other vendors as quickly as possible, so that “when” Anthropic is removed from government systems, the US has the necessary technology to support military operations.
The official added that the administration wants to work with all American companies in the long term. Asked to clarify the White House’s position on Anthropic, the official referred to President Donald Trump’s social media post calling for federal agencies to cease use of the company’s technology.
Spokespeople for the White House, the Pentagon and Anthropic declined to comment. Axios first reported that the White House was working on guidance that would allow government agencies to “get around” the Pentagon’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk.
The memo doesn’t lift that declaration. But its language, details of which have not previously been reported, addresses some of the concerns raised by the Pentagon and Anthropic during increasingly tense contract negotiations that ultimately broke down over the issue of guardrails.
In a nod to the Pentagon’s priorities, the people said, the memo would require that AI models used by the military aren’t changed without government permission and are free from ideological bias. It also affirms that AI companies must strictly adhere to the chain of command — but stops short of requiring that companies agree to “all lawful use” of their products, which is the specific language the Pentagon has demanded in military agreements.
Other sections of the document touch on key areas of concern for Anthropic. Those include a requirement for defense and intelligence agencies to add language in contracts reinforcing constitutional protections and assuring vendors that their AI technology wouldn’t be used for unauthorized surveillance, according to people familiar with the memo. The document would also mandate annual updates of Pentagon regulations governing autonomous weaponry, the people added.
Taken together, some officials think those terms offer a path for the Pentagon to voice concerns about Anthropic while keeping the firm’s technology in military systems alongside providers like xAI and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, the people said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had outlined a six-month transition period for the Pentagon to phase out Anthropic, whose Claude Gov AI tools are used by Palantir Technologies Inc. in the Maven Smart System, an AI-enabled mission control platform that US armed forces have used in operations against Iran.
It could still be a messy road ahead as multiple lawsuits by the company play out. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court declined Anthropic’s request to pause the Pentagon’s supply chain risk designation, even as plans for a broader government ban on its technology remain temporarily blocked by a California judge.
White House officials had been working behind the scenes to untangle the feud ahead of the Pentagon’s late February deadline for Anthropic to drop its demands for guardrails, people familiar with the matter said. Vice President JD Vance, Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross were among those trying to cool tensions, the people said. Even Trump’s statement on Truth Social, posted shortly before the Pentagon’s ultimatum expired, made no mention of supply-chain risk, though he did order government agencies to sever ties with Anthropic.
The search for a solution accelerated this month following Anthropic’s announcement that its new Mythos AI model could pose a global cybersecurity risk, according to people familiar with the matter. On April 17, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other administration officials met with Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei at the White House, where topics discussed included Mythos, the people said. Wiles has become more involved in AI policy, including with the memo, the people said.
The White House memo is taking shape as the Trump administration pursues wider government access to Mythos, which has demonstrated an extraordinary capability for finding vulnerabilities in computer networks. Its release has been limited by the company for now to a handful of financial institutions and technology companies to test their networks. The White House opposed a recent proposal by Anthropic to expand that group.
So far, most federal agencies have not been given the ability to use to Mythos, though Gregory Barbaccia, federal chief information officer of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said in an email that OMB is setting up protections that could allow their agencies to begin using the closely guarded AI model.
Last week, Trump signaled that the US would ultimately have a good relationship with Anthropic, a significant shift in tone after months of tensions with the company. In a CNBC interview, Trump said US officials had “very good talks” with Anthropic executives, adding “I think we’ll get along with them just fine.”
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