\n
![](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/GettyImages-1742849319-e1723911839295.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/p>\n [ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
The U.S. military has long prioritized being able to fight two wars simultaneously in different parts of the globe, similar to its efforts in the Pacific and European theaters during World War II.<\/p>\n
But Alex Karp, CEO of the data-mining software company Palantir which is known for its work in defense and intelligence<\/a>, warned that the U.S. may have to wage war in three different theaters in the future.<\/p>\n He told the New York Times<\/em><\/a> that he thinks the U.S. will \u201cvery likely\u201d find itself in a three-front war with China, Russia and Iran. As a result, he said the Pentagon should continue developing autonomous weapons at full speed, pointing to big mismatches in how far the U.S. would be willing to go while fighting a war compared to other countries.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re in an age when nuclear deterrent is actually less effective because the West is very unlikely to use anything like a nuclear bomb, whereas our adversaries might,\u201d he added. \u201cWhere you have technological parity but moral disparity, the actual disparity is much greater than people think.\u201d<\/p>\n Karp continued: \u201cIn fact, given that we have parity technologically but we don\u2019t have parity morally, they have a huge advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said the military is very close to the threshold where \u201csomewhat autonomous drones\u201d that can kill become the most important weapons. <\/p>\n \u201cYou already see this in Ukraine,\u201d Karp noted.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the sprawling Times<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we tough enough to scare our adversaries so we don\u2019t go to war? Do the Chinese, Russians and Persians think we\u2019re strong?\u201d said Karp, who supported President Joe Biden and is now backing VP Kamala Harris in the election. \u201cThe president needs to tell them if you cross these lines, this is what we\u2019re going to do, and you have to then enforce it.\u201d<\/p>\n Waging war on three fronts at once would likely require more troops, notwithstanding any increased reliance on drones or other autonomous weapons.<\/p>\n After years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military\u2019s size has dropped, while the Pentagon has turned more attention to the Pacific and a possible conflict with China. <\/p>\n While on a separate train of thought on race, class, and affirmative action, Karp told the Times<\/em> he is also \u201cpro draft.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think part of the reason we have a massive cleavage in our culture is, at the end of the day, by and large, only people who are middle- and working-class do all the fighting,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Representatives for Palantir didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n