Anthropic Launches Claude for Civilian Agencies Amid Pentagon Disputes

Anthropic's AI platform, Claude, is now available to US federal and state agencies, following its open beta launch in July 2026. This rollout comes after the Pentagon labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk in March 2026 and a subsequent order from former President Trump for agencies to discontinue use of Claude. Despite this, a late September 2026 ruling upheld Claude's designation for civilian use, allowing agencies to access the same features as enterprise customers while paying based on usage with fixed caps. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, emphasized that this move aims to enhance operational capabilities within civilian sectors. The military previously utilized Claude during the Iran war before its removal, highlighting the platform's potential applications in both defense and civilian contexts. This development follows a broader trend of AI integration into government operations, as seen in Barclays' recent expansion of Claude's use to enhance its operations.