Anthropic already had a deal via Palantir so it seems it's models are used in a variety of ways by the pentagon.
The reports about Venezuela and Iran seem to suggest it's primary role was processing bulk intel.
But also that it was being used in planning and target selection.
Presumably what spooked Anthropic was that these tools were about to be directed internally.
But it's not clear if this is a point of principle that the government wants no holds barred with it's tools?
Anthropic was very clear about the usage restrictions: They didn't want them being used to control autonomous kill drones or mass surveillance of the American public. That's it. DoW didn't like that -- for reasons that will probably soon become apparent.
Correct, it will be about silencing any opposition against this administration. OpenAI will be happy to let their models be used to persecute, kill, and destroy american democracy if it lines Sam's pockets.