On October 5, 2026, a Department of War official said the department had ceased using Anthropic products. People familiar with Pentagon AI use said Claude remained in use as recently as the preceding week, including in research, analysis, intelligence gathering and military operations against Iran.

Claude was reportedly still in use the week before

The accounts described Claude supporting several kinds of work, including analyzing satellite imagery and drone footage, helping identify potential military targets, and preparing one-page briefs. They also placed Claude in military operations against Iran.

These reports put Claude’s use in the department’s work shortly before the official’s statement. They do not give a precise last-use date.

Claude’s reported integration into Maven

People familiar with the department’s AI use said Claude had been integrated into Maven Smart System, a Palantir-operated platform the Pentagon uses to organize intelligence and other data. Lauren Kahn, a senior research analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology and a former defense official, said integrating an AI tool into a larger system can make it difficult to remove.

That kind of integration gives the dispute a practical dimension: removing a model used within a wider data platform can involve more than ending access to a standalone service.

The dispute and the court ruling

The Department of War sought a contract allowing “all lawful uses” of Claude. Anthropic kept restrictions on using its models for lethal autonomous warfare and mass surveillance of Americans. On February 27, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a planned phase-out with a six-month deadline, intended to reach its cutoff in late August. A March 6 department memorandum directed removal as soon as practical and within 180 days, and barred contractors from using Anthropic products for Department of War work.

On September 25, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied Anthropic’s petitions challenging the department’s procurement action under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA), 41 U.S.C. § 4713. The court’s opinion addressed that action, while a California court had separately set aside a Department of War designation under 10 U.S.C. § 3252 on August 27. The two proceedings concerned different statutory actions. NeoTeo covered the D.C. Circuit’s decision in its earlier report on the Pentagon’s Anthropic designation.