Anthropic will file a lawsuit to be removed from the “blacklist.”

Anthropic intends to challenge the U.S. Department of Defense’s decision to add it to a blacklist of suppliers

In a recent decision by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), Anthropic was included in a list of companies that pose a national security threat after the company refused to grant the government unlimited rights to use its Claude model. In response, Anthropic announced its intention to appeal the ruling in court and expressed deep concern about the escalation of the conflict.

What happened
- The DoD declared that Anthropic would become a “supply chain risk” provider. This status is typically applied to companies that could threaten national security, including Chinese firms.
- President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatened to strip Anthropic not only of its $200 million contract with the Pentagon but also of access to many other clients.
- The main reason for the ban was that Anthropic refused to allow the DoD to use the Claude model without restrictions, especially in mass surveillance systems for citizens and fully autonomous armed platforms.

Anthropic’s response
1. Contesting the decision

The company stated: “We will contest any supply chain risk designation in court.” It cited 10 USC 3252, which limits the application of this definition only to Pentagon contracts. This means that use of Claude by other military contractors serving third parties does not fall under this definition.

2. Protecting clients

Anthropic emphasized that the DoD decision does not affect existing individual and commercial contracts: “If you are a client or have an agreement with us, your access to Claude via API, claude.ai, or other products will remain unchanged.”

3. Impact on Pentagon contractors

If the supply chain risk status is officially adopted, Anthropic clarified that it would only affect use of the model within U.S. DoD contracts. AI application for other purposes would remain unchanged.

Conclusion
- Anthropic is ready to engage in legal action against its inclusion on the blacklist and defend its clients’ rights.
- The company believes the DoD decision is limited to Pentagon contracts and does not extend to other customers or contractors.
- Legal actions from both sides are expected soon, along with possible changes to access to the Claude model for military organizations.