The US will very likely go to war against Russia, China and Iran: Alex Karp

But Alex Karp, CEO of data-mining software company Palantir, which is known for its defense and intelligence work, warned that the US may have to wage war in three different theaters in the future.

He told him New York Times that he believes the US will “very likely” find itself in a three-front war with China, Russia and Iran. As a result, he said the Pentagon should continue to develop autonomous weapons at full speed, pointing to wide disparities in how far the US would be willing to go while waging a war compared to other countries.

“I think we’re in an age where nuclear deterrence is actually less effective because the West is very unlikely to use something like a nuclear bomb, while our adversaries could,” he added. “Where you have technological parity but moral disparity, the real disparity is much greater than people think.”

Karp continued: “Actually, given that we have parity technologically but we don’t have moral parity, they have a huge advantage.”

He also said that the military is very close to the threshold where “somewhat autonomous drones” that can kill become the most important weapons.

“You’re already seeing that in Ukraine,” Karp noted.

Elsewhere, in the expanse Times profile, which also covered his personal life, business practices and opinions on a range of people and issues, he urged Democrats to show more strength.

“Are we tough enough to scare our adversaries into not going to war? Do the Chinese, Russians and Persians think we are strong?” said Karp, who endorsed President Joe Biden and is now endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the election. “The president has to tell them if you cross those lines, that’s what we’re going to do, and then you have to enforce it.”

Waging war on three fronts at once would likely require more troops, despite any increased reliance on drones or other autonomous weapons.

After years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the size of the US military has shrunk as the Pentagon has turned more attention to the Pacific and possible conflict with China.

While on a separate train of thought about race, class, and affirmative action, Karp told them Times he is also “pro draft”.

“I think part of the reason we have a massive divide in our culture is, at the end of the day, it’s generally only middle and working class people who are doing all the fighting,” he explained.

Palantir representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Palantir has come under fire for supporting Israel during its war with Hamas, and Karp has previously acknowledged that some of its employees will continue to quit because of that stance.

He told him Times won’t apologize for what Palantir believes and stands for: “I will not apologize for defending the US government at the border, for defending Special Operations, for bringing people home. I don’t apologize for giving our product to Ukraine or Israel or many other places.”