Overview
- Trump directed agencies to cease using Anthropic immediately, granting up to six months for some users, including the Pentagon, to transition off the technology.
- The Pentagon moved to label Anthropic a supply‑chain and security risk, warned it could cancel the $200 million contract, and signaled potential use of the Defense Production Act.
- Anthropic said it “cannot in conscience” accept unrestricted military use of Claude and argued proposed contract language would let safeguards be bypassed, while pledging to help an orderly transition.
- Defense officials said the department does not intend to pursue mass surveillance of Americans or weapons without human involvement but insisted on access for all lawful military purposes.
- Employees at OpenAI and Google publicly backed Anthropic’s stance, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman expressed trust in the company as former DoD officials noted Claude’s existing use in classified environments.