Former Pentagon Strategy Chief Joins Anthropic to Analyze AI's Impact on U.S. Institutions

Summary

James Baker, the former director of the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment from 2015 to 2025, has joined Anthropic as a "strategist-in-residence." ONA, established in 1973, served as the Defense Department's premier think tank for long-term strategic analysis of emerging technologies and their implications for national security. Baker, who previously advised defense secretaries and national security advisors on strategic technology challenges, will now lead analysis at Anthropic on how AI is affecting U.S. institutions and the country's competition with China.

Baker's appointment comes as Anthropic navigates a strained relationship with the Trump administration, which designated the company a supply-chain risk after executives declined to provide tools for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. In his new role, Baker will focus on understanding the broader societal and institutional implications of AI development, particularly concerns about recursive self-improvement—intelligent systems that improve themselves faster than their creators anticipate. Baker has characterized the challenge of adapting to AI as a "civilizational" problem requiring urgent long-term institutional reform beyond just military applications.

The hire represents Anthropic's effort to strengthen its policy and strategy capabilities during a period of federal pressure. The company is currently in a six-month withdrawal from federal service as ordered by President Trump, but Baker's expertise in long-term strategic planning positions him to help Anthropic navigate the evolving landscape of government relations and AI policy.

• The hire reflects Anthropic's effort to strengthen policy expertise amid fraught relations with the Trump administration and federal supply-chain risk designation