Defence says Palantir is "sandboxed" in its environment

Australia’s Department of Defence is using Palantir’s Maven smart system in a sandboxed environment and without its AI functionality, according to officials.

Appearing before senators for budget estimates, head land capability Major General Richard Vagg briefly described the configuration of Palantir software that is in use.

“The system that we’re using with Palantir is the Maven smart [system],” he said. 

“[It] is being used in a closed environment so it’s not plugged into the Defence networks - it’s called a sandbox.”

Vagg said that Maven “allows us to aggregate a whole range of data to inform targeting solutions.”

“We’re using it so we can understand how those types of applications will inform operations in the future and provide requirements for a permanent solution and how we’ll plug into the Defence Targeting Enterprise.”

The Defence Targeting Enterprise refers to an advanced network of sensors, communications and intelligence systems that the department is investing in building.

Vagg said that a difference between Australian Defence’s use of Maven compared to other militaries elsewhere in the world is that AI functions built into the software aren’t enabled.

“We don’t [have the AI function initiated],” Vagg said . 

He said the main use case is “to understand how you would collate … data to give commanders the right situational awareness and ability to select targets on the battlefield.”

Officials also sought to counter reporting by Crikey that Palantir staff were embedded within Defence under contracts with the vendor.

Crikey had reported the contents of a Defence contract which reportedly included details of the conditions of the vendor’s engagement.

Vagg suggested that any leaning on Palantir resources was more benign, with vendor staff assisting in the setup of the system.

“We use Palantir field services representatives to help us in some of the work to set up their systems, but they are in no way embedded into the organisations that are currently trialling and using that system,” Vagg said.

Defence has two active contracts with Palantir, including a $10.4 million deal signed in February this year and running through until February 2027.