Palantir says it cannot shut down Maven for NATO headquarters — Channel NewsAsia
In Brussels, U.S. company Palantir said it has no ability to remotely shut down the Maven Smart System AI platform used by NATO’s military headquarters and several European armed forces. Channel NewsAsia reports.
Palantir’s vice president for the United Kingdom and Europe, Louis Mosley, said that once customers purchase the software, they have full operational control over it. According to him, neither Palantir nor the U.S. government can access the system and shut it down.
Concerns over dependence on U.S. technology
The statement came amid a discussion in Europe about dependence on U.S. defense technology. Last week, Ukraine reported restrictions on the use of the Starshield military satellite service, which operates through SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation. According to Ukraine, terminals stopped working on rapidly moving platforms, complicating, among other things, missions involving interceptor drones to repel attacks by Russia, the aggressor state.
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U.S. and Ukrainian officials, as well as SpaceX chief Elon Musk, gave different explanations for the disruptions. Ukrainian and European officials said they suspected a political motive, as the restrictions occurred after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Ukraine stop strikes on Russian oil refineries.
How Maven works
The Maven system processes large volumes of data from satellites, radars and other sensors to provide military officers with a picture of the battlefield situation and speed up decision-making. NATO acquired Maven for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in 2025, and in June 2026 announced that the system had reached full technical operational readiness.
Germany and France have not introduced Maven into their own armed forces, citing concerns over dependence on a U.S. company. In April, the head of Germany’s cyber command ruled out purchasing Maven, stating that access by employees of a private company to a national military database was unthinkable. Mosley responded that the involvement of Palantir employees in operating the system depends on the customer’s decision, and that it can be used independently of the company if necessary.
