Anthropic Forms National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council
Anthropic announced a bipartisan advisory council of former senators and national security officials to guide its work with the U.S. government and allied democracies.
Quick answer
What did Anthropic announce about its National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council?
Anthropic announced the formation of a National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council made up of bipartisan former senators and national security officials. The company says the council will help identify AI applications in cybersecurity, intelligence analysis and scientific research, and support development of standards for national security uses of its technology.
Key takeaways
- Anthropic announced the creation of a National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council on August 27, 2025.
- The council's inaugural members include former U.S. Senators Roy Blunt and Jon Tester, along with former officials from the CIA, Department of Energy, Department of Justice, Department of Defense and National Security Agency.
- Anthropic says the council will help it identify AI applications in cybersecurity, intelligence analysis and scientific research, and support public-private partnerships and industry standards for national security AI use.
- Anthropic says it plans to announce additional council members in the coming months.
- Anthropic cites related prior steps including Claude Gov models for national security customers, a $200 million DOD prototyping partnership, deployment of Claude to 10,000 scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, work with the National Nuclear Security Administration on nuclear safeguards, and making Claude available for $1 to all three branches of the U.S. government.
Anthropic announced the formation of a National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council, a group of bipartisan former senators and national security officials the company says will help it work with the U.S. government and closely allied democracies.
Anthropic says the council is intended to help the company "identify and develop high-impact applications" in areas including cybersecurity, intelligence analysis and scientific research. The company also says council members will help deepen public-private partnerships and support the development of industry standards for national security AI applications.
Council members
Anthropic named the following inaugural members:
- Roy Blunt, former U.S. Senator for Missouri and member of the Select Committee on Intelligence
- David S. Cohen, former Deputy Director of the CIA and former Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
- Richard Fontaine, member of Anthropic's Long-Term Benefit Trust and CEO of the Center for a New American Security
- Christopher Fonzone, former Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at DOJ and former General Counsel of ODNI
- Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, former Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration
- Josh Hodges, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at VEON Ltd. and former National Security Advisor to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
- Jill M. Hruby, former Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and former Director of Sandia National Laboratories
- Mike Kuiken, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and former National Security Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
- Dave Luber, former Director of Cybersecurity at the NSA and former Executive Director of U.S. Cyber Command
- Patrick M. Shanahan, former Acting Secretary of Defense and current CEO of Spirit AeroSystems
- Jon Tester, former U.S. Senator from Montana and former Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense
Anthropic says it expects to announce additional council members in the coming months as its research and public sector partnerships advance.
Prior national security steps cited by Anthropic
Alongside the announcement, Anthropic listed steps it says it has taken over recent months to support adoption of its AI models in the defense, intelligence and public sector community. These include:
- Introducing Claude Gov models built exclusively for U.S. national security customers
- A $200 million partnership with the Department of Defense to prototype frontier AI capabilities
- Deploying Claude to 10,000 scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Partnering with the National Nuclear Security Administration to develop nuclear safeguards for AI
- Making Claude available for $1 to all three branches of the U.S. government
Anthropic also says it has voluntarily partnered with the Department of Energy's nuclear experts to assess whether its models could divulge sensitive information about nuclear weapons, and with the U.S. Center for AI Standards and Innovation and the UK AI Security Institute to test its models' biological, cyber and AI research and development capabilities.
Anthropic says the council will aid in developing what it describes as safe, effective technology intended to help the United States and closely allied democracies maintain technological advantages.
Source: Anthropic, "Introducing the Anthropic National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council," published August 27, 2025.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Anthropic National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council?
- It is a group of bipartisan national security and public policy practitioners that Anthropic says will help the company support the U.S. government and closely allied democracies on AI-related national security matters.
- Who are the inaugural members?
- The announced members include former Senators Roy Blunt and Jon Tester, former CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen, former NSA Director of Cybersecurity Dave Luber, former Under Secretaries of Energy for Nuclear Security Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty and Jill M. Hruby, and several other former defense, intelligence and White House officials.
- What will the council do, according to Anthropic?
- Anthropic says the council will help identify high-impact AI applications in areas such as cybersecurity, intelligence analysis and scientific research, deepen public-private partnerships, and support development of industry standards for national security AI applications.
- What other national security work does Anthropic cite alongside this announcement?
- Anthropic cites its Claude Gov models built for national security customers, a $200 million DOD partnership, deployment of Claude at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a nuclear safeguards partnership with the National Nuclear Security Administration, and offering Claude for $1 to all three branches of the U.S. government.