Anthropic remains a national security risk, US court rules
What's the story
Anthropic, a leading AI research lab, has suffered a major setback in its legal battle with the US Department of Defense (DoD). A federal appeals court has upheld the Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a "supply chain risk." The ruling allows the Pentagon to continue removing Anthropic's Claude models from its systems and prohibiting their use for Defense Department work.
Ruling details
Court finds 'ample support' for DoD's conclusion on Claude models
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of the Pentagon.
The judges found "ample support" for the DoD's conclusion that Anthropic's Claude models pose operational risks.
This decision comes despite a previous ruling by a federal judge in California, who found it illegal for the Pentagon to punish Anthropic for its criticism of the Pentagon's views on AI use.
Legal strategy
Anthropic 'respectfully disagrees' with court's decision
An Anthropic spokesperson said the company "respectfully disagrees" with the court's decision. They pointed out that another federal court had already deemed the government's parallel designation unlawful.
The company remains confident in its position and is considering all options, including further review.
The appellate panel has stayed its ruling from taking effect immediately, giving Anthropic time to seek a rehearing before the same panel or an en banc rehearing before the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Dispute origins
Dispute began over $200 million contract
The conflict between Anthropic and Trump administration began with a $200 million contract dispute over how Pentagon could deploy Claude on classified systems.
The DoD wanted unrestricted access to Anthropic's models for any lawful military use, while Anthropic sought written guarantees that Claude wouldn't be used in fully autonomous weapons systems.
On February 27, President Trump announced that no government workers would be allowed to use Anthropic's services.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later designated the company as a supply-chain risk.