DoD → Anthropic

1.0.0-rc.1 · Evidence cutoff 12 September 2026

Directly documented interface

Contested use

Dated dispute over conditions for use of a named provider system; no dependency inferred.

public user → provider. public user → provider

Displayed claim → analysis (if present) → coded attributes → interface / instrument → atomic evidence → source version

Instrument and timeline

Instrument: Contested use
Bindingness: Unknown; not inferred from announcement
Announced: 2026-02-26
Observed by: 2026-02-26 · day
Effective period: Unknown → Unknown
Event: Disputed use; later court judgment
Status at cutoff: historical event only
Last confirmation: 2026-08-27

August district judgment changes legal status; contractual restrictions were not technologically enforceable. Separate relief and appellate status remain unresolved at cutoff.

Contractual dispute does not by itself establish technical veto power or operational dependence.

Status investigation

Checked 2026-09-12; assessed as of 2026-09-12. Last confirmation does not establish uninterrupted continuity.

amendments: unknown
expiry: unknown
termination: investigated within listed sources
restrictions: March6 removal/transition memo, March24 ongoing-use testimony, May frozen-code testimony and August judgment inspected. Later revised memo not retrieved; full September status unresolved.
succession: see succession.json
conflicts: August district judgment incorporated; separate DC statutory proceedings and postjudgment relief not conclusively resolved through cutoff. CourtListener retrieval failed; docket mirror last updated August3.

Search queries

"dod" "anthropic" contested use 2026 amendment termination expiry status before:2026-09-13

Analytical assessment

Contested contractual interface

Reviewed analytical assessment

The February–August 2026 episode is a contested contractual interface with consequential government and judicial action.

Documented use and conflicting positions on contractual conditions trigger consequential institutional action.

Derivation rule: All conditions necessary and jointly sufficient for a dated contested-interface finding. No dependency conclusion follows.

The February–August 2026 episode is a contested contractual interface with consequential government and judicial action.

documented-use: established. Court confirms defense use across the historical period. Evidence: court-use
conflicting-conditions: established. Departmental policy requires any-lawful-use terms; supplier refuses removal of two restrictions. Evidence: dod-lawful-use Evidence: feb-dispute
institutional-action: established. Government removal/designation and later judicial findings make this an institutional dispute with consequences. Evidence: march-removal Evidence: judgment-august
technical-control-distinguished: established. Contractual conditions differ from technological enforcement; deployment approval and model provision are divided. Evidence: contractual-control Evidence: court-static-deployment Evidence: court-update-gate

Necessary conditions: met. Sufficient conditions: met.

This analysis distinguishes contractual conditions from technical enforcement.
August judgment does not establish resumed service or the final outcome of every proceeding.

Operational dependence

Reviewed analytical assessment

Operational dependence remains unresolved: recurrent use, identified functions and divided lifecycle control are documented, but function-specific continuing provision and constrained substitution are not established.

A specified institutional function relies on a provider-controlled capability and faces materially constrained substitution.

Derivation rule: All conditions necessary, jointly sufficient only for the named function, time and horizon. Control may include demonstrated continuing supply/update access, not merely remote shutdown. Contract restrictions alone insufficient. Counterevidence must be resolved.

identified-operational-use: established. See linked evidence and rubric-bound reasoning. Evidence: court-use
consequential-provider-control: unresolved. Model provision and divided deployment controls are documented, but the particular function’s need for continuing Anthropic provision rather than existing static models is unresolved. No remote-veto requirement is imposed. Evidence: court-model-provision Evidence: court-update-gate Evidence: dod-update-cadence
constrained-substitution: unresolved. Replacement objectives and transition offer are not an alternatives assessment. Required migration time/cost and functional equivalence remain unestablished. Evidence: dod-modular-intent Evidence: anthropic-transition-offer
identified-function: established. Specific defense/intelligence functions are reported by the provider, with defense use corroborated by the court; magnitude is not established. Evidence: anthropic-mission-use Evidence: court-use

Necessary conditions: not all established. Sufficient conditions: not established.

Not a finding of independence. Preserve candidate for additional operational and substitution evidence.
A separately reviewed March transitional finding does not establish persistent September dependence. Function-specific investigations are logged, with blocked contract/declaration retrievals.

Transitional operational dependence

Reviewed analytical assessment

Transitional dependence in existing Claude-enabled classified operational assistance: substitution required a managed transition while operations continued. No permanent irreplaceability, precise cost or provider remote veto established.

Reliance on a provider-specific capability in an existing operational function where immediate withdrawal is constrained by maintaining that function during replacement. This permits alternatives and divided technical control.

Derivation rule: All five conditions supported, with government operational-continuity evidence and a distinct instrument or deployment record. Announced procurement, continued use alone, or a phase-out deadline alone is insufficient.

identified-operational-use: established. Government confirms active operations; supplier narrows functional context to intelligence/planning assistance, with court corroboration of defence deployment. Not a claim that Claude independently selects targets. Evidence: cio-active-operations Evidence: anthropic-march-functions Evidence: court-use
provider-specific-capability: established. Named Anthropic models remain the deployed capability; development/provision/licensing differs from customer control of static copies. Ongoing remote provider control is not required for product dependence. Evidence: court-model-provision Evidence: memo-transition-licences Evidence: court-static-deployment
non-immediate-substitution: established. Active use persisted after the removal decision; responsible CIO links transition time and exceptions to operational continuity; phased licenses/support and government single-provider characterization corroborate constraint. No exact minimum duration or dollar cost inferred. Evidence: cio-transition-continuity Evidence: memo-transition-licences Evidence: official-single-provider
temporal-and-functional-boundary: established. Assessment dated March24 for ongoing classified operational assistance; later alternatives prevent extending the finding automatically to September. Evidence: cio-active-operations Evidence: senate-alternatives-specific Evidence: dod-vendor-lock-policy
counterevidence-disposition: established. Interoperability, prospective low disruption and alternative agreements rebut permanent irreplaceability, not transitional constraint. Frozen deployed models limit provider veto; they do not make model-specific workflows instantly replaceable. Evidence: cio-alternative-architecture Evidence: senate-frozen-deployment Evidence: court-static-deployment Evidence: senate-alternatives-specific

Necessary conditions: met. Sufficient conditions: met.

The government confirms operational use without a public workflow-by-workflow inventory. Intelligence/planning description comes from the supplier.
No observed instantaneous removal counterfactual. The inference relies on responsible agency explanation that managed transition protects ongoing operations.
Assessment has no ordinal intensity; substantial or mission-structural dependence is not established.
March24 statement does not show whether an exemption was ever granted or migration completed.
Task-specific measured replacement cost
Minimum switching duration
No viable substitute under every feasible operational adjustment
Continuing need for Anthropic engineers or new model versions
September12 persistence of March constraint
Dependence for lethal targeting specifically

Coded attributes

technical-control: shared-constrained

Practical ability to alter the model, its availability, or safeguards in the specified deployment. Contract clauses alone are insufficient.

Actor × exact model/deployment × period. Anthropic provision and replacement of Claude models for DoW, contrasted with deployed operational control; 2025–August 2026; assessed 2026-08-27.

Anthropic provides model artifacts and responds to feedback; DoW and cloud providers independently gate operational deployment. Existing deployed models are outside Anthropic technical alteration or shutdown. Consequential functions are divided across institutions, satisfying shared/constrained control without attributing a real-time veto.

Supporting evidence: court-model-provision court-update-gate . Counterevidence: contractual-control court-static-deployment

Coding applies only to stated context and date, not a permanent institutional rank.

Published rubric anchors

little-control: No demonstrated practical control over the specified consequential operation, with affirmative contrary evidence.
shared-constrained: Consequential controls divided among actor, host, customer or enforceable technical constraints.
substantial: Actor demonstrably retains major development, update or access controls in this environment.
dominant-lifecycle: Actor demonstrably controls development, deployment, updates and access across the specified lifecycle without a consequential independent controller.

Unresolved when necessary evidence is missing or adjacent anchors cannot be distinguished. No numeric conversion. Absence requires affirmative remit or operational evidence, not missing sources.

substitution: unresolved

Feasibility of replacing a specified capability for its operational function within a stated time horizon.

User × capability/function × replacement horizon. Replacing Claude Gov for specified defence workflows; assessed 2026-08-27.

Modular replacement is a departmental objective and the supplier offered transition assistance. Neither demonstrates an equivalent replacement for a named function or migration time/cost. Materially constrained substitution and ready substitutability both remain unresolved.

Supporting evidence: court-use march-removal . Counterevidence: dod-modular-intent anthropic-transition-offer

Coding applies only to stated context and date, not a permanent institutional rank.

Published rubric anchors

readily-substitutable: Demonstrated alternative with achievable transition and equivalent required function.
costly-limited: Demonstrated alternative with identified migration cost or functional limitation.
materially-constrained: Evidence shows transition would impair required function or exceed operationally acceptable time/cost.
no-demonstrated-viable-substitute: A documented alternatives assessment finds none meets specified function/time constraints; search silence alone insufficient.

Unresolved when necessary evidence is missing or adjacent anchors cannot be distinguished. No numeric conversion. Absence requires affirmative remit or operational evidence, not missing sources.

operational-reliance: meaningful

Extent to which a named capability is incorporated into an identified institutional function, separately from substitution and provider control.

User × capability × function × period. Repeated Claude/Claude Gov assistance in defense and intelligence work, with supplier-reported planning, analysis and cyber functions; 2024–February 2026; assessed 2026-08-27.

Court-confirmed defense use since 2024 and Claude Gov use since March 2025, combined with specific supplier-reported operational functions, supports recurrent assistance. Workflow penetration and essentiality are not independently established enough to distinguish substantial or mission-relevant anchors. Transition efforts do not establish independence.

Supporting evidence: court-use anthropic-mission-use . Counterevidence: anthropic-transition-offer march-removal

Coding applies only to stated context and date, not a permanent institutional rank.

Published rubric anchors

incidental: Documented isolated experiment outside routine operation.
meaningful: Documented recurrent assistance to identified work with bounded integration.
substantial: Embedded use across recurring identified workflows; independent confirmation or operational detail required.
mission-relevant: Documented integration into an essential operational function; not inferred merely from institutional defence remit.

Unresolved when necessary evidence is missing or adjacent anchors cannot be distinguished. No numeric conversion. Absence requires affirmative remit or operational evidence, not missing sources.

substitution: unresolved

Feasibility of replacing a specified capability for its operational function within a stated time horizon.

User × capability/function × replacement horizon. Existing Claude-enabled operational assistance, March24 2026, immediate withdrawal horizon; assessed 2026-03-24.

Managed transition constrains immediate withdrawal, but the ordinal rubric cannot distinguish costly alternatives from material unavailability without a task-level comparison. The analytical transitional construct makes a narrower categorical finding.

Supporting evidence: cio-transition-continuity memo-transition-licences official-single-provider . Counterevidence: cio-alternative-architecture senate-alternatives-specific

No ordinal substitution intensity established; later alternatives do not retroactively eliminate a transition constraint.

Published rubric anchors

readily-substitutable: Demonstrated alternative with achievable transition and equivalent required function.
costly-limited: Demonstrated alternative with identified migration cost or functional limitation.
materially-constrained: Evidence shows transition would impair required function or exceed operationally acceptable time/cost.
no-demonstrated-viable-substitute: A documented alternatives assessment finds none meets specified function/time constraints; search silence alone insufficient.

Unresolved when necessary evidence is missing or adjacent anchors cannot be distinguished. No numeric conversion. Absence requires affirmative remit or operational evidence, not missing sources.

Atomic evidence and exact sources

DoW used Claude from 2024 and Claude Gov from March 2025 through partners.

Source: Anthropic v DoW: summary judgment, document 250 · US District Court, Northern District of California
Version: 2026-08-27; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed page 5, factual background
Limit: Identifies use, not a direct contract for every deployment.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

Anthropic could not technologically enforce contractual usage restrictions and lacked direct visibility into DoW use.

Source: Anthropic v DoW: summary judgment, document 250 · US District Court, Northern District of California
Version: 2026-08-27; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed page 6
Limit: Specific deployed environment; does not imply no control over future development, contracts or provision.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

The court granted Anthropic summary judgment on specified claims with exceptions; relief would follow separately.

Source: Anthropic v DoW: summary judgment, document 250 · US District Court, Northern District of California
Version: 2026-08-27; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed pages 1–2 and 58–59
Limit: Does not resolve every claim, related appellate proceeding, or establish resumed service.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

The April order records March designation, cancelled contracts and begun removal of Claude.

Source: Anthropic v DoD: order in 26-1049 · US Court of Appeals, DC Circuit
Version: 2026-04-08; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: PDF page 4, first page of attached per curiam statement
Limit: Historical action subject to later district judgment and separate litigation.

Retrieved bytes SHA-256: ddf657a5e34180ff2b4270ee0f1a84b6fa2ae28647e549ba4311d821179972d7

Anthropic rejected requested changes to its restrictions on domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.

Source: Statement on Department of War discussions · Anthropic
Version: 2026-02-26; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Discussion of two exceptions
Limit: Company account of dispute; technological enforcement differs from contractual conditions.

Retrieved bytes SHA-256: cd14cdf2547de78b704d4a8ec079952f429fbb38547a89778cb60d524b644359

Anthropic publicly disputed requested changes to DoW conditions of use.

Source: Statement on Department of War discussions · Anthropic
Version: 2026-02-26; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Two exceptions and concluding statement
Limit: Contractual dispute does not by itself establish technical veto power or operational dependence.

Retrieved bytes SHA-256: cd14cdf2547de78b704d4a8ec079952f429fbb38547a89778cb60d524b644359

The Secretary directed incorporation of any-lawful-use terms into DoW AI procurement contracts within 180 days.

Source: Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Department of War · Secretary of War / Department of Defense
Version: signed-2026-01-09; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed page 5, Clarifying Responsible AI paragraph
Limit: Policy direction, not proof that each contract was amended.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

The Secretary directed CDAO to establish a vendor delivery cadence for deploying latest models within 30 days of public release.

Source: Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Department of War · Secretary of War / Department of Defense
Version: signed-2026-01-09; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed page 4, AI Model Parity paragraph
Limit: Desired cadence and procurement criterion, not evidence of achieved delivery or dependence on any single company.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

The Secretary directed modular architectures and documentation allowing third-party integration without prime-contractor support.

Source: Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Department of War · Secretary of War / Department of Defense
Version: signed-2026-01-09; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed page 5, Modular Open Architectures paragraph
Limit: Substitution mitigation objective; no completed alternatives assessment or transition cost established.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

The court describes deployed DoW Claude models as static and beyond Anthropic technological access, alteration or shutdown.

Source: Anthropic v DoW: summary judgment, document 250 · US District Court, Northern District of California
Version: 2026-08-27; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed page 17, Section II.F, first paragraph
Limit: Applies to deployed models described in this litigation, not future model provision or hosted consumer services.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

The court records that replacement Claude models undergo third-party cloud-provider and DoW security testing and evaluation before operational approval.

Source: Anthropic v DoW: summary judgment, document 250 · US District Court, Northern District of California
Version: 2026-08-27; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed page 17, Section II.F, first paragraph
Limit: Identifies a deployment approval gate, not complete interpretability, universal evaluation sufficiency or provider substitutability.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

The court records Anthropic providing models to DoW or a primary defense contractor and responding to DoW evaluation feedback and requests.

Source: Anthropic v DoW: summary judgment, document 250 · US District Court, Northern District of California
Version: 2026-08-27; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed page 17, Section II.F, first paragraph
Limit: Provision is distinct from control over deployed inference; future supply terms and update alternatives are unspecified.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

Anthropic reported Claude use for intelligence analysis, modeling and simulation, operational planning and cyber operations.

Source: Statement on Department of War discussions · Anthropic
Version: 2026-02-26; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Opening paragraph beginning Claude is extensively deployed
Limit: Supplier attribution for named functions; the court corroborates defense use but does not quantify reliance within each workflow.

Retrieved bytes SHA-256: cd14cdf2547de78b704d4a8ec079952f429fbb38547a89778cb60d524b644359

Anthropic offered continued model availability during an orderly transition to another provider if DoW offboarded it.

Source: Statement on Department of War discussions · Anthropic
Version: 2026-02-26; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Penultimate paragraph beginning Should the Department choose to offboard
Limit: Conditional supplier offer; establishes neither a completed replacement nor its feasibility or cost.

Retrieved bytes SHA-256: cd14cdf2547de78b704d4a8ec079952f429fbb38547a89778cb60d524b644359

The Department states it will continue building an architecture intended to prevent AI vendor lock.

Source: Classified Networks AI Agreements · US Department of Defense (Department of War publication)
Version: consulted-2026-09-12; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Paragraph beginning The Department will continue to build an architecture
Limit: Policy intention, not demonstration that a specific operational workflow can switch providers.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

In response to a question about Iran operations, CIO Davies confirms Claude use is active.

Source: Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee transcript · US Senate Armed Services Committee
Version: dated-2026-03-24; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed p28, lines3–10, Reed question and Davies answer
Limit: Operational use confirmed; exact workflow, model version and weapons role undisclosed.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

Davies explains that replacement time and an exception process protect ongoing operational success.

Source: Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee transcript · US Senate Armed Services Committee
Version: dated-2026-03-24; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed p28, lines7–18
Limit: A rationale for managed transition, not a measured minimum switching duration or proof of an approved exception.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

Davies states the Department has designed its data architecture to accommodate multiple AI types.

Source: Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee transcript · US Senate Armed Services Committee
Version: dated-2026-03-24; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed p29, lines14–23; p27 lines16–22
Limit: Government assertion of interoperability; no demonstrated task parity or replacement-cost assessment supplied.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

The CIO authorizes temporary Anthropic licences and support tokens tied to approved transition plans to preserve migration continuity.

Source: Removal of Anthropic, PBC Products in DoW Systems, CIO000183-26 · US Department of Defense CIO (document hosted by CBS)
Version: dated-2026-03-06; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: PDF p2, paragraph beginning DoW Components will remove
Limit: Authorization is not proof of actual expenditure, licence issuance, or support delivery.

Retrieved bytes SHA-256: d00b6cc7d7285ac97538fdd00e0a7d9c20b7fc4a4ebcdebdff98cc666bbe473b

Michael describes CENTCOM, INDOPACOM and SOUTHCOM using one model in the Anthropic dispute and characterizes the arrangement as vendor lock.

Source: Emil Michael remarks at American Dynamism Summit · a16z event organizer / Emil Michael
Version: dated-2026-03-04; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: On the events of the past few weeks, paragraphs2–3
Limit: Official characterization; no workflow inventory. Hypothetical remote-shutdown concern is qualified by later court findings.

Retrieved bytes SHA-256: 056a01561a95614ad752d4b792b9978930cf9c190fb75b9271556f79d6766cd8

Service representatives cannot supply Anthropic replacement costs; Army acknowledges some use while Navy does not confirm classified use publicly.

Source: Senate Armed Services science and technology priorities hearing · US Senate Armed Services Committee
Version: dated-2026-05-19; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed pp59–60, Manning, Tremper and Wolfson answers
Limit: Missing cost estimates do not prove either costly or costless replacement.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

Michael testifies that Anthropic updates and cloud access were frozen after the designation.

Source: Senate Armed Services science and technology priorities hearing · US Senate Armed Services Committee
Version: dated-2026-05-19; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed pp63–64, answer to Kelly
Limit: Government technical-control account; distinct from contested contractual restrictions.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

Michael states there had been one provider before newer agreements and that alternative providers differ by application.

Source: Senate Armed Services science and technology priorities hearing · US Senate Armed Services Committee
Version: dated-2026-05-19; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Printed pp66–68, Kelly questions and Michael answers
Limit: No measured comparison of substitutes for an existing Claude workflow.

Byte capture unavailable. HTTP Error 403: Forbidden Published document identity and locator remain recorded.

Anthropic identifies intelligence analysis, simulation, planning and cyber operations among supported defence applications.

Source: Where things stand with the Department of War · Anthropic
Version: dated-2026-03-05; retrieved 2026-09-12
Exact locator: Paragraph beginning As we wrote on Thursday
Limit: Supplier-reported functions; government testimony confirms operational use without mapping every function.

Retrieved bytes SHA-256: 31b469c8d51ba2b6d423df8459a88b13bc756b66a614093d7b118ba55f34e977

Supporting and conflicting evidence

Interface support: e-dod-anthropic-contested, court-use, march-removal, judgment-august, cio-active-operations, memo-transition-licences. Counterevidence: contractual-control, cio-alternative-architecture, senate-frozen-deployment, senate-alternatives-specific

Analysis dod-anthropic-contested-assessment: support court-use, feb-dispute, march-removal, judgment-august, dod-lawful-use; counterevidence contractual-control.

Analysis dod-anthropic-dependence-unresolved: support court-use, anthropic-mission-use, court-model-provision, court-update-gate, dod-update-cadence; counterevidence court-static-deployment, dod-modular-intent, anthropic-transition-offer, march-removal, cio-alternative-architecture, senate-alternatives-specific, senate-migration-cost-unknown.

Analysis dod-anthropic-transitional-dependence-march2026: support cio-active-operations, cio-transition-continuity, memo-transition-licences, official-single-provider, court-model-provision, anthropic-march-functions; counterevidence cio-alternative-architecture, senate-frozen-deployment, senate-alternatives-specific, court-static-deployment, senate-migration-cost-unknown.

Substantive review

evidence/court-use: approved · agent reviewer codex-research-checker · 2026-09-12

August27 district judgment page5 describes Claude use since2024 and Claude Gov sinceMarch2025 through partners; the record does not fabricate direct contracts. Checked locator: Printed page 5, factual background. Source version: 2026-08-27.