The White House has issued a sweeping national security directive designed to accelerate artificial intelligence adoption across government while tightening the administration’s grip on contractors.
National Security Presidential Memorandum 11, issued on Friday, seeks to streamline procurement, expand training, and deepen collaboration with leading American technology firms on national security AI systems.
The memo also revokes Biden-era restrictions the administration views as overly cautious, signalling a sharp shift in how the government intends to manage AI policy going forward.
A central provision orders the “termination for default or for convenience” of contracts with any company that attempts to restrict how the government uses its AI systems.
The clause is widely seen as a direct response to the administration’s ongoing legal dispute with AI firm Anthropic, though the memo does not name any company by name.
Anthropic’s Claude was the first commercial large language model authorised for use on classified networks, but the company raised objections in February over reported plans to use the AI to support combat operations against Venezuela and Iran.
The administration responded by cancelling Anthropic’s federal contracts, citing the company as a “supply chain risk,” a decision Anthropic has challenged through two parallel lawsuits, while a waiver allows its Claude Mythos model to remain in use at the NSA.
“Most of the attention will go towards the discussions about working with companies, which clearly reflects the ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and Anthropic,” former Pentagon policy official Mike Horowitz said.
Jack Shanahan, who founded Project Maven and the Pentagon’s Joint AI Center, was equally direct, saying “there’s absolutely no question whatsoever, this comes from the Anthropic dispute,” adding “there’s no other interpretation.”
Experts are divided on whether the memo will influence the active litigation, with Shanahan suggesting it arrives too late to shape a judge’s ruling but could provide the administration a “do-over” in future disputes.
Jessica Tillipman, associate dean at George Washington University, argued the memo is less about the current lawsuits and more about addressing a deeper structural problem within government procurement, saying it targets “an ongoing challenge within the government, which is dependency on single suppliers.”
Tillipman warned that issuing the memo alone is insufficient and that real change requires implementation at the individual contract level, noting “it’s clear they want to be able to get rid of a contractor easier, including subcontractors.”
She indicated the critical test lies ahead, adding: “I’m waiting to see what that looks like in a clause.”