Exclusive: Pentagon to adopt Palantir AI as core US military system, memo says [View all]

Source: Reuters

March 20, 2026 7:28 PM EDT Updated 8 hours ago


NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - Palantir’s (PLTR.O), opens new tab Maven artificial intelligence system will become an official program of record, Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve ​Feinberg said in a letter to Pentagon leaders, a move that locks in long-term use of Palantir’s weapons-targeting technology across ‌the U.S. military.

In the March 9 letter to senior Pentagon leaders and U.S. military commanders, Feinberg said embedding Palantir’s Maven Smart System would provide warfighters “with the latest tools necessary to detect, deter, and dominate our adversaries in all domains”. The decision is expected to go into effect by the close of the current fiscal year, which ends in September, ​according to the letter, which was reviewed by Reuters and has not been previously reported.

Maven is a command-and-control software platform that analyzes battlefield ​data and identifies targets. It is already the primary AI operating system for the U.S. military, which has carried ⁠out thousands of targeted strikes against Iran over the last three weeks.
Designating Maven as a program of record will streamline its adoption across all arms ​of the military and provide stable, long-term funding, Feinberg said.

The memo ordered oversight of Maven be moved from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency to the ​Pentagon’s Chief Digital Artificial Intelligence Office within 30 days. Future contracting with Palantir will be handled by the Army, the letter said.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/technology/pentagon-adopt-palantir-ai-as-core-us-military-system-memo-says-2026-03-20/