Overview
Anthropic has established itself as the first frontier AI company to deploy models in US government classified networks and National Laboratories.
First-Mover Status
- First frontier AI company to deploy models in US government's classified networks
- First to deploy models at the National Laboratories
- First to provide custom models for national security customers
Current Deployment Scope
Claude is extensively deployed across the Department of War and other national security agencies for mission-critical applications including:
- Intelligence analysis
- Modeling and simulation
- Operational planning
- Cyber operations
Actions Against Adversaries
Anthropic has acted to defend America's lead in AI, even when against short-term company interest:
1. Cut off CCP-linked access — Forgo several hundred million dollars in revenue to cut off use of Claude by firms linked to the Chinese Communist Party (some designated as Chinese Military Companies)
2. Shut down cyberattacks — Shut down CCP-sponsored cyberattacks that attempted to abuse Claude
3. Advocate for export controls — Advocated for strong export controls on chips to ensure a democratic advantage
The Current Dispute
Despite this deployment history, the Department of War has threatened to remove Anthropic from their systems due to disagreements over safeguards for:
- Mass domestic surveillance (which Anthropic argues is incompatible with democratic values)
- Fully autonomous weapons (which Anthropic argues lack sufficient reliability today)
Anthropic's strong preference is to continue serving the Department with these two requested safeguards in place. Should the Department choose to offboard them, they will work to enable a smooth transition without disrupting ongoing military planning or operations.
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