Palantir Eyes Baltic Military Market as Lithuania Weighs AI Software Purchase
US firm Palantir is seeking entry into Lithuania's military sector, where the defence ministry is considering a data-analysis tool already used in combat. Critics warn of risks when algorithms help decide on targets.
Lithuania's armed forces are considering buying technology from Palantir, a US artificial intelligence software company, that is already used in combat, according to Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT. The matter is significant because algorithmic targeting, in which a system gathers data and presents a commander with options on what and where to strike, is already helping make life-or-death decisions.
What Palantir offers
Peter Andrysiak, a retired US general, former chief of staff at US European Command and now a senior counsellor at Palantir, says algorithms speed up laborious tasks such as reviewing drone footage and analysing intelligence data. At the Defending Baltics event in Vilnius last month, the company demonstrated its Maven Smart System. The footage shown contained little visible AI use; the AI capabilities were explained only after audience questions. According to Andrysiak, the system does not destroy targets automatically. The company is also introducing "agentic" models that take over some tasks normally done by headquarters staff, already in use in the US.
Concerns over oversight
Researchers and human rights activists are worried about so-called cognitive surrender, where people accept algorithm-generated answers as true. Andrysiak acknowledges the risks and says human oversight is necessary, but analysts stress it must be meaningful. An investigation into AI targeting tools used by Israel in Gaza pointed to disproportionate civilian casualties; the Israeli military denies the allegations. In February, a system using Palantir technology misidentified a girls' school in Iran as a military target during the US-Israel war against Iran, and many children died. Palantir's civil liberties representative Richard Evans declined to answer questions about the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.
Lithuania's plans
Lithuania's defence minister confirmed in late October that a purchase is under consideration. According to TV3 news, it would cost about 200 million euros over seven years; the country's 2026 defence budget is 4.7 billion euros. The ministry says it signed a memorandum of understanding with Palantir on 25 April 2023, that Palantir was the only company to respond to a market consultation, and that no contracts have been signed. President Gitanas Nausėda said on 29 October that no final decision has been made.
