Palantir says it cannot shut off NATO AI system as Europeans fear US tech dependence

By Andrew Gray

BRUSSELS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - US software company Palantir sought to reassure Europeans that its military AI system used by NATO has no "kill switch", after disruptions to Ukraine's Starlink services heightened concerns about reliance on US tech firms.

Ukraine reported last week that its use of military-grade satellite service Starshield, which uses SpaceX's Starlink constellation, had been restricted so that terminals stopped working on fast-moving platforms, hampering tasks such as using interceptor drones to thwart Russian attacks.

US and Ukrainian officials and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have offered conflicting explanations for the disruption. But Ukrainian and European officials said they suspected a political motive because the move came after US President Donald Trump demanded Ukraine stop hitting Russian oil refineries.

Those suspicions prompted fresh concern among European policymakers that the continent was too dependent on US defence technology that could be cut off, limiting its ability to defend itself.

But Louis Mosley, Palantir’s executive vice president for the UK and Europe, told Reuters on Wednesday that neither the company nor the US could switch off the Maven Smart System AI platform used by NATO’s military headquarters and several European armed forces.

“What we have seen in the news over the past few days around Starlink is extremely concerning,” Mosley said in an interview in Brussels.

“But as concerns Palantir, I can provide categorical reassurance that where customers have bought our software, they are in full operational control of that software,” he said.

“There are no kill switches. There's no ability for Palantir or the US government to reach in and switch it off.”

MAVEN SYSTEM PROCESSES VAST BATTLEFIELD DATA 

The Maven system processes vast amounts of data from satellites, radars and other sensors to give military officers a picture of the battlefield and speed up decision-making.

NATO bought Maven for its Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in 2025 and declared the system had achieved "full technical operational capability" in June this year.

But some European NATO members such as Germany and France have not adopted Maven for their own armed forces, citing concerns about relying on a US company amid frequent tensions between Trump and European leaders.

In April this year, the head of Germany's cyber command ruled out buying Maven, saying it was "inconceivable" for employees of a private company to have access to the country's national military database.

Mosley said it was "entirely at the discretion of the customer" whether Palantir employees were involved in operating the system. Such employees would be citizens of the country concerned and have the required security clearance, he said.

"It can absolutely be operated independently of us, and we have many, many customers around the world  —  both actually in the military and in the corporate world  — who do that," he added.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)