Anthropic has filed a petition in a Washington, D.C. federal court to rehear its appeal against the Pentagon's designation of its AI models as a national-security 'supply chain risk.' This designation, made by the Secretary of War, has effectively barred defense contractors from utilizing Anthropic's technology due to the company's refusal to allow its models for mass surveillance or lethal autonomous warfare.
The Pentagon's decision followed failed negotiations over the deployment of Anthropic's Claude AI models, which had previously been part of a $200 million contract signed in July 2025. In September, the D.C. Circuit Court upheld the Pentagon's blacklisting in a 2-1 decision, dismissing Anthropic's claims that the ban was arbitrary and unconstitutional.
Anthropic's legal team argues that the court overlooked evidence suggesting the designation was retaliatory in nature, stemming from the company's public stance on AI safety. The outcome of this case is crucial for Anthropic, as it not only affects its relationship with the Department of Defense but also its broader standing in the defense technology market