As US Secretary of Defense Seeks $200 Billion for War - Catholic Ethicists File Amicus Brief Supporting Anthropic in Pentagon Conflict Concerning AI Weapons

The tragic strike on the Shajarah-Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, Iran, which took the lives of 175 mainly children on February 28, has ignited a global debate over the ethics of "the first AI war." On March 19, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed reports that the Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in supplemental funding to support ongoing military operations in the war against Iran, stating that while the specific figure "could move," it "takes money to kill bad guys." This request, which would fund Operation Epic Fury and replenish depleted munition stockpiles, is expected to face significant scrutiny from a divided Congress as the national debt surpasses $39 trillion. While preliminary reports blame outdated human intelligence for misidentifying the school as a military target for a U.S. Tomahawk missile, the incident has cast a harsh light on the military’s growing reliance on generative AI to process and rank thousands of potential targets. Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned on March17, in protest, stating he could not "in good conscience" support a war he claims was initiated due to foreign pressure and for which there was "no imminent threat" to the United States.

The Conflict Between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon

The ethical divide reached a breaking point on February 27, when President Donald Trump ordered government agencies to cease working with the tech firm Anthropic.

The split stemmed from a fundamental disagreement over the "acceptable use" of AI in warfare. In response, Anthropic—whose tools are used to analyze complex imagery—filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon on March 9.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei defended the move, citing concerns over domestic surveillance and autonomous weaponry. "Some uses are simply outside the bounds of what today’s technology can safely and reliably do," Amodei stated, arguing that unchecked AI can undermine democratic values.

A Theological and Moral Front

A group of 14 Catholic moral theologians, including a priest, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Anthropic on March 13. They argued that lethal autonomous weapons "obscure human agency," shifting the burden of moral responsibility from people to machines.

Anthony Granado of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops echoed these concerns, noting that Pope Leo XIV has termed the rise of AI a "digital revolution" that directly impacts human dignity.

"AI is neither neutral in its implementation nor by its design," Granado explained. "The decision to take life... must be guided by moral law."

"Maximum Lethality" vs. Human Oversight

The U.S. military maintains that AI is a tool for efficiency, not a replacement for judgment. U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper stated that AI allows leaders to "cut through the noise" and make decisions in seconds rather than days, though he insisted humans remain the final decision-makers.

However, many are skeptical of this oversight, especially given the rhetoric from the current administration:

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has famously prioritized "maximum lethality" over what he calls "tepid legality."

  • John Slattery of Duquesne University warned that the administration's desire to remove "guardrails" is dangerous, as generative AI is inherently biased even under strict supervision.

  • Democratic Lawmakers (120 in total) have demanded transparency regarding the role AI played in strikes that have hit schools, hospitals, and cultural heritage sites.

Subsidiarity and Corporate Responsibility

Beyond the battlefield, the conflict raises questions about the independence of private companies. Anthony Cannizzaro of The Catholic University of America points to the principle of subsidiarity, suggesting that the government should not overrule the moral prerogatives of smaller organizations like Anthropic.

Msgr. Stuart Swetland, a former Navy officer and canon lawyer, agreed that corporations have a right—and a duty—to ensure their products are used ethically. "Dehumanizing war... will make it way too easy to use deadly force," he warned, noting that the Church's "Just War" criteria require human involvement to prevent disproportionate evil.

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