Dec 10, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Pentagon CTO seeks "five more Andurils and Palantirs and SpaceXs"

Colin Demarest

Four men in suits seated at a panel with microphones. One man in focus wearing a red striped tie and looking sideways with a serious expression. — Emil Michael testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2025. Photo: EJ Hersom/DVIDS

Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael would like to see "five more Andurils and Palantirs and SpaceXs" flourish, he told reporters Monday.

Why it matters: His remarks reflect the growing momentum of neo-prime contractors, the influx of private capital into the defense world and the U.S. military's growing affection for dual-use equipment.

What they're saying: "The enthusiasm, the amount of dollars going into this from a national security standpoint is, frankly, amazing," Michael said at a Defense Writers Group lunch in Georgetown.

"If we bring five more of those in, then you're going to have a much more robust, competitive environment, vis-a-vis the primes, and I think everyone goes faster and gets cheaper."

Context: Michael previously served on the Defense Business Board. He was also Uber's chief business officer.

The intrigue: Each company referenced has a different role in the defense pool: hardware, including drones and missiles; digital transformation, namely artificial intelligence; and space.

Flashback: Palantir successfully sued the Army in 2016.

It has since inked significant contracts, including a potential $10 billion software-and-data arrangement. Prior to that, it won a $178 million competition for Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Nodes.

Go deeper: Defense industry heaps praise on Hegseth's weapons-buying reformation

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Pentagon CTO seeks "five more Andurils and Palantirs and SpaceXs"

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