As Mike Gallagher enters his new position leading Palantir Technologies‘ defense business, he aims to help advance the company’s defense technology ecosystem and create a pipeline for the company to enter domains like space, Nextgov said Friday.
The former Wisconsin congressman spearheaded the House Armed Services Committee and was a lead commissioner on the Congress-mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission before deciding to leave politics after serving four terms.
In his new role, Gallagher said he would like to build on Palantir’s recent achievements, including being selected for the Army’s Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node, or TITAN, contract.
“We want to enhance near-term deterrence at a time when we’re over the long-term struggling to recapitalize our submarine fleet in these big platforms, we’re going to have to deploy cutting-edge, innovative technology and get it into the hands of the warfighter as quickly as possible,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher also said he sees a “huge opportunity” to promote AUKUS pillar 2 as an initiative among global allies to align all parties in pursuing defensive resilience. He emphasized the benefits of Palantir’s ability to create successful partnerships throughout the Department of Defense.
“Defense primes are going to continue to exist. And that’s good for America. That’s healthy,” Gallagher stated. “And if we can collaborate and pair cutting-edge Palantir software with some of the legacy systems or next-generation systems and hardware that those companies produce, I think that’s great for not just the American industry, but again, the warfighter. And it all comes down to the warfighter.”