D.C. Circuit Upholds Pentagon Ban on Anthropic’s Claude for Military and Defense Contractors
Summary
A divided D.C. Circuit panel upholds the Pentagon’s supply-chain-risk designation of Anthropic, keeping Claude barred from military and defense-contractor use after talks collapsed over safeguards against autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance.
Key Points
- A 2-1 D.C. Circuit panel upholds the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, preserving the ban on Claude use by the military and its defense contractors.
- Anthropic's dispute stems from failed GenAI.mil negotiations: the Pentagon sought unrestricted lawful use of Claude, while Anthropic sought safeguards against autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance.
- The panel delays the ruling's immediate effect for rehearing requests; Anthropic says it is considering further review after a San Francisco federal judge last month found a parallel designation unlawful.