Former Republican US Congressman Mike Gallagher has recently joined Palantir Technologies Inc., a US data analysis and defense contractor, as the head of the Department of Defense. Bloomberg reported on Thursday (August 22) that Gallagher stated he will be working full-time at the company, emphasizing his dedication to the role and commitment to utilizing all his talents and energy towards this endeavor.
In his new position, Gallagher will report to the company’s CEO Alex Karp. Karp expressed in a statement, “Mike’s unique abilities will contribute to shaping America’s policies in confronting adversaries,” adding, “I am delighted he is joining Palantir, and I believe he will be invaluable.”
Gallagher, a former chairman of the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, is known as a prominent hawk on China-related matters and was dubbed the “congressional anti-China flag bearer” by The Wall Street Journal. He resigned from his congressional position on April 20th of this year.
His work in the House was focused on ensuring US primacy in critical technology fields. His stance aligns with Palantir’s goal of asserting US dominance in areas such as artificial intelligence.
Gallagher mentioned that he is currently undergoing onboarding training and will lead Palantir’s defense business division, overseeing the sale of its data analysis technology to the US government and allied nations. Defense technology sales make up a significant portion of the company’s government business, and it anticipates growth in this area. The Department of Defense recently designated Palantir as a major contractor for a significant contract involving artificial intelligence.
Palantir is a US-listed company specializing in researching and developing big data analysis software platforms, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
From 2017 to 2024, Gallagher served as a federal congressman for Wisconsin. In 2024, he led a bipartisan effort in Congress to introduce and push for the passage of the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” which compelled the Chinese parent company of TikTok to sell the app under threat of a ban in the US. The bill passed through Congress and was signed by President Biden in just around seven weeks.
As a result, Gallagher faced sanctions from the Chinese Communist regime. In response to the sanctions, he stated, “When the CCP attempts to silence voices of freedom defenders, we must continue to expose the increasing authoritarian repression domestically and aggression abroad that China is engaged in, and steadfastly promote the security, freedom, and prosperity of the US and its allies.”