Lithuania discusses military decision-support platform from software company Palantir

The Lithuanian military is exploring the acquisition of an artificial intelligence tool to support military decision-making, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported on 13 November 2026. Details of the specific tool come from LRT, and Flank had found no independent confirmation of them at the time of publication. In a written response to the broadcaster, the Ministry of National Defence confirmed that it had held a market consultation on an information management platform and stated that no contracts had been signed with Palantir Technologies.

The memorandum and market consultation

The ministry and technology company Palantir Technologies signed a memorandum of intent on 25 April 2023. The ministry stated this in a written response quoted by Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT. According to LRT, the market consultation on centralised information management through a single platform attracted a proposal only from Palantir Technologies.

Which products would be used and the scope of any purchase will be decided following further assessments, the ministry said. The memorandum and consultation should therefore not be presented as a supply contract award.

As early as 28 October, news agency BNS, in a report carried by LRT, quoted Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas telling television channel TV3 that a Palantir platform for the military was under discussion. According to the minister, the tool is needed to enable artificial intelligence to process and analyse large datasets brought together in one place.

Preliminary estimates, but no agreed price

On 29 October, President Gitanas Nausėda said after a meeting of the State Defence Council that no final decision on Palantir had been made and that more information was being sought on the price and cost-benefit balance, LRT reported. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius also said that talks had yet to take place and commercial offers were still awaited.

The president mentioned a preliminary estimate of up to €90 million over three years, but stressed that talks with suppliers had yet to take place. The earlier BNS report quoted a different estimate from TV3: almost €200 million for the first seven years. The sums cover different periods, and neither is an agreed price. Without a defined scope of supply, they do not allow a direct comparison.

Analysis does not mean an independent decision to use force

The task described by the minister is the processing and analysis of information. That does not in itself mean that the software would be tasked with independently deciding on the use of force. The specific product, its tasks and the permissible degree of automation have yet to be clarified.

In Flank’s assessment, the key considerations in any acquisition will be whether commanders can verify the basis for recommendations and whether the tool works reliably with incomplete or contradictory information. Control over military information, human approval and support arrangements are criteria for such an assessment, not established characteristics of the tool under consideration.