What happened
Seventeen former national security officials have filed a brief asking the full D.C. Circuit to rehear the case that upheld the Pentagon's supply-chain risk label on Anthropic. Nothing has changed yet: the September panel ruling still stands, and the underlying dispute over military use of frontier AI remains...
[Advertise](https://scoopnewsgroup.com/oursolutions/)
[](https://defensescoop.com)
[Subscribe](https://defensescoop.com/subscribe/)
Advertisement
Subscribe to our daily newsletter.
[Subscribe](/subscribe)
* AI
# Former U.S. officials urge D.C. Circuit to reconsider decision in Anthropic-Pentagon fight
In a new legal brief, they warned that the high-stakes ruling will “threaten all defense contractors.”
**By** [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/ "Brandi Vincent")
Listen to this article
0:00
Learn more. This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment.
(Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A bipartisan group of 17 former senior national security officials, diplomats and intelligence professionals filed [a legal brief](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.42923/gov.uscourts.cadc.42923.01208900150.0.pdf) on Tuesday urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to rehear Anthropic’s challenge to the Pentagon’s designation of the company as a supply-chain risk.
“Left undisturbed that ruling will threaten all defense contractors,” they argue in the 26-page submission.
This brief marks the latest move in the messy saga between the Defense Department and Anthropic. The two remain at an impasse over safety guardrails and unrestricted military use of the company’s frontier AI models.
Anthropic was positioned as a premier AI partner for the U.S. government between 2024 and mid-2025. Through [collaboration](https://investors.palantir.com/news-details/2024/Anthropic-and-Palantir-Partner-to-Bring-Claude-AI-Models-to-AWS-for-U.S.-Government-Intelligence-and-Defense-Operations/) with Palantir and Amazon Web Services, Anthropic’s Claude was the first frontier AI model to deploy inside highly restricted, classified government networks.
Advertisement
But DOD’s alignment with Anthropic [shattered](https://fedscoop.com/anthropic-government-responses-pentagon-battle-continues-claude/) in early 2026.
The company’s leadership refused to accede to new demands from Pentagon leadership that would permit the military to deploy commercial AI models for “all lawful use cases” — without limitation. In particular, Anthropic took issue with the government potentially using its models to surveil Americans en masse, and for applications of autonomous weapon systems that can attack targets without human intervention.
Following a series of failed negotiations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in February [officially designated](https://defensescoop.com/2026/02/27/pentagon-threat-blacklist-anthropic-ai-experts-raise-concerns/) Anthropic as a “supply-chain risk to national security.” That severe regulatory label is typically reserved for foreign, adversarial entities and functionally bars defense contractors and components from doing commercial business with Anthropic.
The firm [subsequently sued](https://fedscoop.com/anthropic-government-responses-pentagon-battle-continues-claude/) the federal government.
This summer a federal judge in San Francisco [ruled in favor](https://fedscoop.com/anthropic-government-ban-court-ruling/) of the Claude maker, deeming the Pentagon’s actions against [Anthropic](https://defensescoop.com/tag/anthropic/) to be troubling and retaliatory. However, last month, the federal circuit court in D.C. ruled 2-to-1 in favor of the Pentagon in a simultaneous challenge.
Advertisement
In the new legal brief, the 17 former officials noted that — because Congress vested that specific court with exclusive jurisdiction over supply-chain risk designations — the panel’s decision is the governing law nationwide.
“No other court can revisit it,” they wrote. “If it stands, it will establish how DOD may deal with every defense contractor from here on out. Few questions could be of more exceptional importance for this Court to rehear en banc.”
The crew of subject matter experts behind this brief said they share “decades of combined experience” in federal procurement, supply-chain security, and protecting America’s technological edge in matters of national defense. The brief states that many held senior roles “in both Republican and Democratic administrations, at the White House, National Security Council, Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, Office of Management and Budget, and other national security and intelligence institutions, where they implemented or advised on the statutory and constitutional authorities at issue here.”
Some of the more prominent members of the group include former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice and former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, among others.
The officials warned that the court’s decision “would set a dangerously erroneous standard” for supply chain risk designations moving forward, if a rehearing is not set.
Advertisement
Their key arguments include that the Pentagon’s national security risk label “was pretextual.” The brief points out that DOD announced the penalty and public denunciations on social media, before generating any administrative steps or formal justifications.
The experts also contend that the designation was made in retaliation against Anthropic for its leaders’ public comments, policy stances, and refusal to meet certain government demands — essentially serving as what they see as an unconstitutional warning to other military contractors and frontier AI makers.
“Further, had DOD engaged in a lawful process, it would have considered the specific risks posed by the two capabilities Anthropic refused to provide: mass domestic surveillance and lethal autonomous weapons. DOD has not explained why DOD should have the first, much less how it could exercise it lawfully. Nor has DOD reconciled the second with the United States’ commitment that [its military use of AI be in compliance with applicable international laws],” the brief stated.
Ultimately, the former officials argued that if “the panel decision stands, this Court will validate a sham process that not only weakens national security but gives this and future administrations authorization to punish any company that falls out of favor.”
Pentagon spokespersons did not immediately provide comments on the matter before publication.
Advertisement
*FedScoop Senior Reporter Madison Alder contributed reporting.*
Share
* [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/dc-circuit-decision-anthropic-pentagon-fight/) * [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/dc-circuit-decision-anthropic-pentagon-fight/) * [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/dc-circuit-decision-anthropic-pentagon-fight/)
Advertisement
Advertisement
## More Like This
1. ### [Army pilots AI-backed maintenance program to digitize manuals, streamline repairs](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/20/army-pilots-ai-backed-maintenance-program/)
By [Drew F. Lawrence](https://defensescoop.com/author/drew-f-lawrence/) 2. ### [Marine Corps moves to expand Maven Smart System account access across its enterprise](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/20/marine-corps-maven-smart-system-access/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/) 3. ### [Air Force starting to game out sustainment framework for CCA drones](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/air-force-cca-drones-sustainment-plan/)
By [Jon Harper](https://defensescoop.com/author/jharper/)
Advertisement
## Top Stories
1. ### [Army Special Forces leaders see promise, high demand for new robotics technician integrator job](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/army-special-forces-new-robotics-technician-integrator-job/)
By [Drew F. Lawrence](https://defensescoop.com/author/drew-f-lawrence/) 2. ### [Pentagon threatens universities that have ties to ‘foreign entities of concern,’ hints at additional audits](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/19/pentagon-research-security-audits-universities/)
By [Jon Harper](https://defensescoop.com/author/jharper/) 3. ### [Navy expands contract ceiling for AI-enabled repair robots](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/20/navy-expands-contract-ceiling-for-ai-enabled-repair-robots/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/) 4. ### [Pentagon CIO gets new strategic technical advisor](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/19/pentagon-cio-gets-new-strategic-technical-advisor/)
By [Jon Harper](https://defensescoop.com/author/jharper/)
Advertisement
## More Scoops
[](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/08/senate-bill-expand-dod-oversight-commercial-frontier-ai-models/)
The setting sun casts a warm glow on the Senate side of the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building on September 14, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images)
### [Bipartisan Senate bill would push DOD to expand its oversight of in-use commercial frontier AI models](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/08/senate-bill-expand-dod-oversight-commercial-frontier-ai-models/)
The legislation would direct the secretary of defense to create new reporting requirements and voluntary guidance for large AI contractors.
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
[](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/11/dod-poised-to-move-all-classified-ai-workloads-off-anthropic-by-october/)
Services members assigned to the GenAI.mil task force, Department of Defense (DOD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), deliver training on building AI agents to Sailors assigned to U.S. Pacific Fleet on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, July 23, 2026. (U.S Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Sypert)
### [DOD poised to move all classified AI workloads off Anthropic by October](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/11/dod-poised-to-move-all-classified-ai-workloads-off-anthropic-by-october/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
[](https://defensescoop.com/2026/08/31/grok-chatgpt-added-to-genai-mil/)
An AI app folder containing Grok, Gemini, and ChatGPT, among others, is displayed on a smartphone screen in Creteil, France, on July 9, 2026. (Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
### [Grok and ChatGPT join Gemini in Pentagon’s enterprise genAI portal](https://defensescoop.com/2026/08/31/grok-chatgpt-added-to-genai-mil/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
### [DOD expands its classified AI work with 8 companies — excluding Anthropic — amid ongoing dispute](https://defensescoop.com/2026/05/01/dod-expands-classified-ai-work-with-8-companies-excluding-anthropic/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
### [A policy gap is threatening the Pentagon’s AI innovation pipeline](https://defensescoop.com/2026/03/26/policy-gap-threatening-pentagon-ai-innovation-pipeline/)
By [Morgan Plummer](https://defensescoop.com/author/morgan-plummer/)
### [Pentagon names former DOGE employee Gavin Kliger as new chief data officer](https://defensescoop.com/2026/03/06/doge-dod-gavin-kliger-new-pentagon-chief-data-officer/)
By [Mikayla Easley](https://defensescoop.com/author/mikayla-easley/)
### [Experts raise questions and concerns about Pentagon’s threat to blacklist Anthropic amid AI spat](https://defensescoop.com/2026/02/27/pentagon-threat-blacklist-anthropic-ai-experts-raise-concerns/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
## Latest Podcasts
#### [How the Navy is reducing workforce friction to improve mission outcomes](https://fedscoop.com/accelerating-the-mission-with-ai-and-security#fanelli&mccaskill)
#### [How DARPA is looking to AI to fend off cyber vulnerabilities through a challenge program](https://defensescoop.com/radio/darpa-program-manager-perri-adams/)
#### [How the DOD protects national security interests by monitoring climate change](https://defensescoop.com/radio/how-the-dod-protects-national-security-interests-by-monitoring-climate-change/)
#### [IonQ’s Craig Miller on securing against quantum threats](https://defensescoop.com/video/ionqs-craig-miller-on-securing-against-quantum-threats/)
### Tech
* [HDUSA wants to replicate South Korea’s ‘war footing’ industrial capacity in America](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/19/hdusa-industrial-capacity-plans/) * [US Navy deploys unmanned maritime drone to support carrier strike group in historic first](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/16/us-navy-deploys-unmanned-maritime-drone-to-support-carrier-strike-group-in-historic-first/) * [Army playing ‘ACEs’ to meet commanders’ capability needs](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/15/army-accelerated-capability-events-ace-gtead/) * [As Army I Corps gets parts of NGC2 ecosystem, ‘tyranny of distance and disruption’ in the Pacific are top of mind for commander](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/13/army-i-corps-next-generation-command-and-control-ngc2/)
### AI
* [Military service members to square off against AI in ‘Mindgame’ tournament](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/15/humans-vs-artificial-intelligence-wargames-drone-swarms/) * [Army to launch Project Gatekeeper, an effort to make it easier for vendors to onboard software](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/14/army-project-gatekeeper-software-artificial-intelligence/) * [ARCYBER expanding use of AI agents for network operations](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/12/arcyber-expanding-use-of-ai-agents-for-network-operations/) * [Army turning to AI in its fight against biological threats](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/12/army-turning-to-ai-in-its-fight-against-biological-threats/)
### Weapons
* [U.S. military debuts new Task Force Easy to enable drone tech ‘adaptation dominance’](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/14/military-drone-tech-task-force-easy/) * [American Army forces in South Korea adapting to new drone threats](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/12/eighth-army-adapting-to-new-drone-threats/) * [7th Air Force seeks new counter-drone capabilities for point defense modernization in South Korea](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/05/air-force-counter-drone-point-defense-modernization-south-korea/) * [Navy creates warfighting development center in Virginia to determine how the sea service will employ unmanned systems in future battles](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/25/navy-creates-robotic-autonomous-systems-warfighting-development-center/)
### Cyber
* [Pentagon averts cyber pay cuts — for now — with one-year C-MIP ‘transition plan’](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/15/pentagon-cyber-pay-c-mip-transition-plan/) * [Colby approves Pentagon policy for ‘cyber operations-peculiar’ monetary awards](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/08/elbridge-colby-pentagon-cyber-operations-peculiar-awards-program/) * [The Pentagon’s new cyber mastery incentive model promised a ‘new era.’ Troops are bracing for pay cuts.](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/01/pentagon-new-cyber-mastery-incentive-model-troops-bracing-for-pay-cuts/) * [AAFES investigating ‘suspicious' messages sent to military customers through email and store’s official app](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/18/aafes-investigating-suspicious-messages-sent-to-military-customers/)
Advertisement
[](https://defensescoop.com)
Source coverage
DefenseScoop
Subscribe
Full source content
[Advertise](https://scoopnewsgroup.com/oursolutions/)
[](https://defensescoop.com)
[Subscribe](https://defensescoop.com/subscribe/)
Advertisement
Subscribe to our daily newsletter.
[Subscribe](/subscribe)
* AI
# Former U.S. officials urge D.C. Circuit to reconsider decision in Anthropic-Pentagon fight
In a new legal brief, they warned that the high-stakes ruling will “threaten all defense contractors.”
**By** [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/ "Brandi Vincent")
Listen to this article
0:00
Learn more. This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment.
(Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A bipartisan group of 17 former senior national security officials, diplomats and intelligence professionals filed [a legal brief](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cadc.42923/gov.uscourts.cadc.42923.01208900150.0.pdf) on Tuesday urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to rehear Anthropic’s challenge to the Pentagon’s designation of the company as a supply-chain risk.
“Left undisturbed that ruling will threaten all defense contractors,” they argue in the 26-page submission.
This brief marks the latest move in the messy saga between the Defense Department and Anthropic. The two remain at an impasse over safety guardrails and unrestricted military use of the company’s frontier AI models.
Anthropic was positioned as a premier AI partner for the U.S. government between 2024 and mid-2025. Through [collaboration](https://investors.palantir.com/news-details/2024/Anthropic-and-Palantir-Partner-to-Bring-Claude-AI-Models-to-AWS-for-U.S.-Government-Intelligence-and-Defense-Operations/) with Palantir and Amazon Web Services, Anthropic’s Claude was the first frontier AI model to deploy inside highly restricted, classified government networks.
Advertisement
But DOD’s alignment with Anthropic [shattered](https://fedscoop.com/anthropic-government-responses-pentagon-battle-continues-claude/) in early 2026.
The company’s leadership refused to accede to new demands from Pentagon leadership that would permit the military to deploy commercial AI models for “all lawful use cases” — without limitation. In particular, Anthropic took issue with the government potentially using its models to surveil Americans en masse, and for applications of autonomous weapon systems that can attack targets without human intervention.
Following a series of failed negotiations, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in February [officially designated](https://defensescoop.com/2026/02/27/pentagon-threat-blacklist-anthropic-ai-experts-raise-concerns/) Anthropic as a “supply-chain risk to national security.” That severe regulatory label is typically reserved for foreign, adversarial entities and functionally bars defense contractors and components from doing commercial business with Anthropic.
The firm [subsequently sued](https://fedscoop.com/anthropic-government-responses-pentagon-battle-continues-claude/) the federal government.
This summer a federal judge in San Francisco [ruled in favor](https://fedscoop.com/anthropic-government-ban-court-ruling/) of the Claude maker, deeming the Pentagon’s actions against [Anthropic](https://defensescoop.com/tag/anthropic/) to be troubling and retaliatory. However, last month, the federal circuit court in D.C. ruled 2-to-1 in favor of the Pentagon in a simultaneous challenge.
Advertisement
In the new legal brief, the 17 former officials noted that — because Congress vested that specific court with exclusive jurisdiction over supply-chain risk designations — the panel’s decision is the governing law nationwide.
“No other court can revisit it,” they wrote. “If it stands, it will establish how DOD may deal with every defense contractor from here on out. Few questions could be of more exceptional importance for this Court to rehear en banc.”
The crew of subject matter experts behind this brief said they share “decades of combined experience” in federal procurement, supply-chain security, and protecting America’s technological edge in matters of national defense. The brief states that many held senior roles “in both Republican and Democratic administrations, at the White House, National Security Council, Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security, Office of Management and Budget, and other national security and intelligence institutions, where they implemented or advised on the statutory and constitutional authorities at issue here.”
Some of the more prominent members of the group include former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice and former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, among others.
The officials warned that the court’s decision “would set a dangerously erroneous standard” for supply chain risk designations moving forward, if a rehearing is not set.
Advertisement
Their key arguments include that the Pentagon’s national security risk label “was pretextual.” The brief points out that DOD announced the penalty and public denunciations on social media, before generating any administrative steps or formal justifications.
The experts also contend that the designation was made in retaliation against Anthropic for its leaders’ public comments, policy stances, and refusal to meet certain government demands — essentially serving as what they see as an unconstitutional warning to other military contractors and frontier AI makers.
“Further, had DOD engaged in a lawful process, it would have considered the specific risks posed by the two capabilities Anthropic refused to provide: mass domestic surveillance and lethal autonomous weapons. DOD has not explained why DOD should have the first, much less how it could exercise it lawfully. Nor has DOD reconciled the second with the United States’ commitment that [its military use of AI be in compliance with applicable international laws],” the brief stated.
Ultimately, the former officials argued that if “the panel decision stands, this Court will validate a sham process that not only weakens national security but gives this and future administrations authorization to punish any company that falls out of favor.”
Pentagon spokespersons did not immediately provide comments on the matter before publication.
Advertisement
*FedScoop Senior Reporter Madison Alder contributed reporting.*
Share
* [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/dc-circuit-decision-anthropic-pentagon-fight/) * [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/dc-circuit-decision-anthropic-pentagon-fight/) * [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/dc-circuit-decision-anthropic-pentagon-fight/)
Advertisement
Advertisement
## More Like This
1. ### [Army pilots AI-backed maintenance program to digitize manuals, streamline repairs](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/20/army-pilots-ai-backed-maintenance-program/)
By [Drew F. Lawrence](https://defensescoop.com/author/drew-f-lawrence/) 2. ### [Marine Corps moves to expand Maven Smart System account access across its enterprise](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/20/marine-corps-maven-smart-system-access/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/) 3. ### [Air Force starting to game out sustainment framework for CCA drones](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/air-force-cca-drones-sustainment-plan/)
By [Jon Harper](https://defensescoop.com/author/jharper/)
Advertisement
## Top Stories
1. ### [Army Special Forces leaders see promise, high demand for new robotics technician integrator job](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/21/army-special-forces-new-robotics-technician-integrator-job/)
By [Drew F. Lawrence](https://defensescoop.com/author/drew-f-lawrence/) 2. ### [Pentagon threatens universities that have ties to ‘foreign entities of concern,’ hints at additional audits](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/19/pentagon-research-security-audits-universities/)
By [Jon Harper](https://defensescoop.com/author/jharper/) 3. ### [Navy expands contract ceiling for AI-enabled repair robots](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/20/navy-expands-contract-ceiling-for-ai-enabled-repair-robots/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/) 4. ### [Pentagon CIO gets new strategic technical advisor](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/19/pentagon-cio-gets-new-strategic-technical-advisor/)
By [Jon Harper](https://defensescoop.com/author/jharper/)
Advertisement
## More Scoops
[](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/08/senate-bill-expand-dod-oversight-commercial-frontier-ai-models/)
The setting sun casts a warm glow on the Senate side of the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building on September 14, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images)
### [Bipartisan Senate bill would push DOD to expand its oversight of in-use commercial frontier AI models](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/08/senate-bill-expand-dod-oversight-commercial-frontier-ai-models/)
The legislation would direct the secretary of defense to create new reporting requirements and voluntary guidance for large AI contractors.
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
[](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/11/dod-poised-to-move-all-classified-ai-workloads-off-anthropic-by-october/)
Services members assigned to the GenAI.mil task force, Department of Defense (DOD) Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), deliver training on building AI agents to Sailors assigned to U.S. Pacific Fleet on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, July 23, 2026. (U.S Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Sypert)
### [DOD poised to move all classified AI workloads off Anthropic by October](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/11/dod-poised-to-move-all-classified-ai-workloads-off-anthropic-by-october/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
[](https://defensescoop.com/2026/08/31/grok-chatgpt-added-to-genai-mil/)
An AI app folder containing Grok, Gemini, and ChatGPT, among others, is displayed on a smartphone screen in Creteil, France, on July 9, 2026. (Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
### [Grok and ChatGPT join Gemini in Pentagon’s enterprise genAI portal](https://defensescoop.com/2026/08/31/grok-chatgpt-added-to-genai-mil/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
### [DOD expands its classified AI work with 8 companies — excluding Anthropic — amid ongoing dispute](https://defensescoop.com/2026/05/01/dod-expands-classified-ai-work-with-8-companies-excluding-anthropic/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
### [A policy gap is threatening the Pentagon’s AI innovation pipeline](https://defensescoop.com/2026/03/26/policy-gap-threatening-pentagon-ai-innovation-pipeline/)
By [Morgan Plummer](https://defensescoop.com/author/morgan-plummer/)
### [Pentagon names former DOGE employee Gavin Kliger as new chief data officer](https://defensescoop.com/2026/03/06/doge-dod-gavin-kliger-new-pentagon-chief-data-officer/)
By [Mikayla Easley](https://defensescoop.com/author/mikayla-easley/)
### [Experts raise questions and concerns about Pentagon’s threat to blacklist Anthropic amid AI spat](https://defensescoop.com/2026/02/27/pentagon-threat-blacklist-anthropic-ai-experts-raise-concerns/)
By [Brandi Vincent](https://defensescoop.com/author/bvincent/)
## Latest Podcasts
#### [How the Navy is reducing workforce friction to improve mission outcomes](https://fedscoop.com/accelerating-the-mission-with-ai-and-security#fanelli&mccaskill)
#### [How DARPA is looking to AI to fend off cyber vulnerabilities through a challenge program](https://defensescoop.com/radio/darpa-program-manager-perri-adams/)
#### [How the DOD protects national security interests by monitoring climate change](https://defensescoop.com/radio/how-the-dod-protects-national-security-interests-by-monitoring-climate-change/)
#### [IonQ’s Craig Miller on securing against quantum threats](https://defensescoop.com/video/ionqs-craig-miller-on-securing-against-quantum-threats/)
### Tech
* [HDUSA wants to replicate South Korea’s ‘war footing’ industrial capacity in America](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/19/hdusa-industrial-capacity-plans/) * [US Navy deploys unmanned maritime drone to support carrier strike group in historic first](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/16/us-navy-deploys-unmanned-maritime-drone-to-support-carrier-strike-group-in-historic-first/) * [Army playing ‘ACEs’ to meet commanders’ capability needs](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/15/army-accelerated-capability-events-ace-gtead/) * [As Army I Corps gets parts of NGC2 ecosystem, ‘tyranny of distance and disruption’ in the Pacific are top of mind for commander](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/13/army-i-corps-next-generation-command-and-control-ngc2/)
### AI
* [Military service members to square off against AI in ‘Mindgame’ tournament](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/15/humans-vs-artificial-intelligence-wargames-drone-swarms/) * [Army to launch Project Gatekeeper, an effort to make it easier for vendors to onboard software](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/14/army-project-gatekeeper-software-artificial-intelligence/) * [ARCYBER expanding use of AI agents for network operations](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/12/arcyber-expanding-use-of-ai-agents-for-network-operations/) * [Army turning to AI in its fight against biological threats](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/12/army-turning-to-ai-in-its-fight-against-biological-threats/)
### Weapons
* [U.S. military debuts new Task Force Easy to enable drone tech ‘adaptation dominance’](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/14/military-drone-tech-task-force-easy/) * [American Army forces in South Korea adapting to new drone threats](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/12/eighth-army-adapting-to-new-drone-threats/) * [7th Air Force seeks new counter-drone capabilities for point defense modernization in South Korea](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/05/air-force-counter-drone-point-defense-modernization-south-korea/) * [Navy creates warfighting development center in Virginia to determine how the sea service will employ unmanned systems in future battles](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/25/navy-creates-robotic-autonomous-systems-warfighting-development-center/)
### Cyber
* [Pentagon averts cyber pay cuts — for now — with one-year C-MIP ‘transition plan’](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/15/pentagon-cyber-pay-c-mip-transition-plan/) * [Colby approves Pentagon policy for ‘cyber operations-peculiar’ monetary awards](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/08/elbridge-colby-pentagon-cyber-operations-peculiar-awards-program/) * [The Pentagon’s new cyber mastery incentive model promised a ‘new era.’ Troops are bracing for pay cuts.](https://defensescoop.com/2026/10/01/pentagon-new-cyber-mastery-incentive-model-troops-bracing-for-pay-cuts/) * [AAFES investigating ‘suspicious' messages sent to military customers through email and store’s official app](https://defensescoop.com/2026/09/18/aafes-investigating-suspicious-messages-sent-to-military-customers/)
Advertisement
[](https://defensescoop.com)
How this page is built
Goose Pod turns cited reporting into a public episode summary first, then pairs that summary with audio playback so listeners can check the source material before they decide how deeply to engage.
The goal is to make this page useful as a news landing page first, while still giving listeners transcript access, related episodes, and direct links back to the original publishers.
