Pentagon official maintains Anthropic's supply chain risk status despite comments from Commerce Secretary

<p>Pentagon official Emil Michael stated on Thursday that Anthropic remains classified as a "supply chain risk," following comments from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick the previous day, who indicated that the company is "back on the right side."</p><p><strong>Context: </strong>The Trump administration has shown mixed signals regarding Anthropic, one of the leading AI labs, amid ongoing discussions about the military's use of its models.</p><hr /><p><strong>Statements: </strong>Michael posted on X, "Anthropic is still a designated Supply Chain Risk at @DeptofWar and for the Defense Industrial Base. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>Lutnick told Axios' Mike Allen during the G20 Innovation Summit that he trusts Anthropic, stating, "They've done what we asked. They're back on the right side. So the answer is: Yes," when asked about his confidence in Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.</p><ul><li>Differences in leadership style under Amodei have contributed to tensions between the Trump administration and Anthropic earlier this year, but the company has been promoting co-founder Tom Brown's role in its relationship with the White House.</li></ul><p><strong>Legal developments: </strong>A federal judge ruled in August against the Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic as a supply chain risk; however, the company is still contesting a separate Pentagon designation under a different statute in the D.C. Circuit.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Despite some positive remarks, Anthropic continues to face challenges with the Trump administration as Brown's role becomes more prominent.</p>