Signal Pentagon Confirms It Has Fully Stopped Using Anthropic's Claude

Summary

A senior U.S. Department of Defense official told the BBC that the Pentagon has completely stopped using Anthropic's AI products, closing out a six-month phaseout. The process began in February when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a national security supply-chain risk after the company refused to remove safeguards against autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance. Anthropic sued the administration over the designation, but a federal appeals court ruled in the Pentagon's favor in September. The Pentagon's confirmation marks the formal end of the phaseout period Hegseth ordered six months earlier. However, BBC sources say Claude was reportedly still in use as recently as last week through Palantir's Maven Smart System in operations related to Iran. The discrepancy between the official announcement and reported continued use highlights how difficult enforcing such bans can be across a sprawling defense bureaucracy.