The U.S. military has long prioritized the ability to fight two wars simultaneously in different parts of the globe, similar to its efforts in the Pacific and European theaters during World War II.
But Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, a data-mining software company known for its defense and intelligence work, warned that the United States may have to fight wars in three different theaters in the future.
He told the New York Times that he believes the United States is “very likely” to find itself in a three-front war with China, Russia and Iran. As a result, he said the Pentagon should continue development of autonomous weapons at full speed, noting that there is a wide discrepancy about how far the United States would go in a war compared to other countries.
“I think we’re entering an era where nuclear deterrence is actually less effective, because it’s very unlikely that the West would use something like a nuclear bomb, but it would “Because they may do so,” he added. “When there is a moral disparity that is technically equivalent, the actual disparity is much larger than people think.”
Karp added: “In fact, they have a huge advantage given that they are technically equivalent but not morally equivalent.”
He also said the military is very close to the threshold where “somewhat autonomous drones” that can kill people become the most important weapon.
“We’re already seeing this in Ukraine,” Karp noted.
Elsewhere in his expansive Times profile, which also covers his personal life, business practices and opinions on a variety of people and issues, he urged Democrats to show more strength.
“Are we strong enough to scare our enemies into not going to war? Do the Chinese, the Russians, the Persians think we’re strong?” Karp supports President Joe Biden and is currently He said he supports Vice President Kamala Harris in the election. “The president needs to tell them, if you cross these lines, this is what we’re going to do, and then you have to enforce it.”
Waging a war on three fronts simultaneously will likely require more troops, despite an increased reliance on drones and other autonomous weapons.
After years of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the size of the U.S. military has shrunk while the Pentagon has turned more attention to the Pacific and the possibility of conflict with China.
Karp told the Times that he, too, is a “pro-draft,” although he has other ideas about race, class and affirmative action.
“I think part of the reason why there are so many rifts in our culture is that at the end of the day, by and large, only middle-class and working-class people are doing all the fighting,” he said. explained.
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Representatives for Palantir did not respond to requests for comment.
Palantir, meanwhile, has come under fire for supporting Israel during its war with Hamas, and Karp previously acknowledged that some employees continue to quit over that stance.
He told the Times that he makes no apologies for what he believes in and what Palantir supports, “for defending the U.S. government at the border, defending Special Forces, and bringing people home. I’m not going to apologize. I’m not going to apologize for delivering our products to Ukraine and Israel and many other places. ”
This article originally appeared on Fortune.com
