Anthropic argued in its March 5, 2026 statement that its designation as a supply chain risk affected Claude's use only as a direct part of Department of War contracts, while leaving contractors' unrelated uses unaffected. The company said it would challenge the designation in court and would keep providing its models during a transition for as long as it is permitted to. The distinction mattered to customers with both military and civilian work: Anthropic interpreted the restriction as tied to particular contracts. That was the company's legal position at that point in the dispute, rather than a court ruling establishing the restriction's scope.
