🔎 Defense Tech Signal — Friday

• The Pentagon has formally designated Anthropic a “supply chain risk,” signaling stricter AI vendor guardrails and immediate implications for which large language model providers can access DoD contracts.
• DoD is preparing to order 30,000 one-way drones following its “Gauntlet” exercise, marking a rapid scale-up of expendable autonomous systems procurement and fielding.
• Merlin Labs completed the Preliminary Design Review for autonomous C-130J operations with U.S. Special Operations Command, advancing efforts to convert legacy airlift into optionally unmanned logistics platforms.

Sources:

1) Defense News — https://www.defensenews.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/03/06/pentagon-says-it-is-labeling-anthropic-a-supply-chain-risk-effective-immediately/
2) Breaking Defense — https://breakingdefense.com/2026/03/drone-dominance-pentagon-to-order-30000-one-way-drones-in-next-few-days/
3) Defence Blog — https://defence-blog.com/u-s-military-moves-to-turn-c-130j-into-drone/

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