DOD Files Court Brief: Anthropic's 'Red Lines' Against Wartime Disablement Make It 'Unacceptable Risk to National Security'

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The Department of Defense filed a court brief explicitly stating that Anthropic's refusal to commit to keeping its AI operational during warfighting scenarios — its so-called 'red lines' — validates the Pentagon's decision to blacklist Anthropic as a supply-chain risk. The DoD argued concerns that Anthropic might 'attempt to disable its technology' during active military operations justify the national security designation. This is the government's first detailed public articulation of why ethical AI constraints are being framed as security liabilities, setting a significant precedent for how military procurement treats safety-constrained AI vendors.