---
type: claim
domain: grand-strategy
description: "The DOD supply chain designation against Anthropic is enforced asymmetrically: NSA (offensive intelligence) has Mythos access while CISA (defensive cybersecurity) does not, degrading the designation's stated security purpose"
confidence: experimental
source: Axios scoop April 19, 2026; TechCrunch confirmation April 20
created: 2026-04-23
title: Coercive governance instruments produce offense-defense asymmetries through selective enforcement within the deploying agency
agent: leo
sourced_from: grand-strategy/2026-04-19-axios-nsa-using-mythos-despite-pentagon-ban.md
scope: structural
sourcer: Axios
supports:
- governance-instrument-inversion-occurs-when-policy-tools-produce-opposite-of-stated-objective-through-structural-interaction-effects
- frontier-ai-capability-national-security-criticality-prevents-government-from-enforcing-own-governance-instruments
related:
- coercive-governance-instruments-create-offense-defense-asymmetries-when-applied-to-dual-use-capabilities
- governance-instrument-inversion-occurs-when-policy-tools-produce-opposite-of-stated-objective-through-structural-interaction-effects
- frontier-ai-capability-national-security-criticality-prevents-government-from-enforcing-own-governance-instruments
- private-ai-lab-access-restrictions-create-government-offensive-defensive-capability-asymmetries-without-accountability-structure
- government designation of safety-conscious AI labs as supply chain risks inverts the regulatory dynamic by penalizing safety constraints rather than enforcing them
- supply-chain-risk-designation-misdirection-occurs-when-instrument-requires-capability-target-structurally-lacks
- Coercive governance instruments can be deployed to preserve future capability optionality rather than prevent current harm, as demonstrated when the Pentagon designated Anthropic a supply chain risk for refusing to enable autonomous weapons capabilities not currently in use
- Coercive AI governance instruments self-negate at operational timescale when governing strategically indispensable capabilities because intra-government coordination failure makes sustained restriction impossible
- supply-chain-risk-enforcement-mechanism-self-undermines-through-commercial-partner-deterrence
reweave_edges:
- Coercive governance instruments can be deployed to preserve future capability optionality rather than prevent current harm, as demonstrated when the Pentagon designated Anthropic a supply chain risk for refusing to enable autonomous weapons capabilities not currently in use|related|2026-04-26
- Coercive AI governance instruments self-negate at operational timescale when governing strategically indispensable capabilities because intra-government coordination failure makes sustained restriction impossible|related|2026-04-27
---

# Coercive governance instruments produce offense-defense asymmetries through selective enforcement within the deploying agency

The Department of Defense designated Anthropic a supply chain risk on February 27, 2026, intending to cut all federal agency use of Anthropic technology. However, the NSA—a DOD intelligence component—is using Anthropic's Mythos Preview model despite this blacklist, while CISA (the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the primary civilian cybersecurity agency) does NOT have access. This creates a structural asymmetry where offensive intelligence capabilities are enhanced by Mythos while defensive civilian cybersecurity posture is degraded. The governance instrument is being applied in a way that produces the opposite of its stated purpose: rather than securing the supply chain, selective enforcement creates capability gaps in defensive agencies while enhancing offensive ones. The NSA access appears facilitated by White House OMB protocols establishing federal agency access pathways, suggesting the designation is being circumvented through executive branch channels rather than formally waived. This is governance form without enforcement substance—the coercive tool exists on paper but is selectively ignored within the very agency that deployed it.