In a 1777 letter to John Adams, Thomas Jefferson warned that although the Revolutionary War was looking dire for the colonists, having a national draft would be “the most unpopular and impracticable thing that could be attempted.”
“Our people, even under the monarchical government, had learnt to consider [military conscription] as the last of all oppressions,” he wrote.
(As a refresher, the Royal Navy used “press gangs” to seize American colonial ships and sailors. Automatic conscription of men ages 16 to 60 was so opposed by the colonists, it made it into the Declaration of Independence as one of the 27 grievances against King George III.)
It may come as a surprise then that nearly 250 years later, a major company valued at roughly $350 billion—while paying $0 in federal taxes and holding a $10 billion contract with the U.S. Army—is now backing the draft.
Palantir Technologies, a defense and data analytics company, published a 22-point manifesto on its X account on Sunday that summed up what cofounder and CEO Alex Karp wrote in 2025 book The Technological Republic, coauthored with Nicholas W. Zamiska. Among the 22 points was a call for universal national service.
“National service should be a universal duty. We should, as a society, seriously consider moving away from an all-volunteer force and only fight the next war if everyone shares in the risk and the cost,” the post summing up the manifesto read.
Among other points in the manifesto include a “moral debt to the country” owed by Silicon Valley and for the remilitarization of Germany and Japan, former Axis powers in World War II.
On an earnings call last year, Karp said Palantir’s mission was to “scare enemies and, on occasion, kill them.” The contract the company holds with the U.S. Army is to better its software and data analytics. Additionally, Palantir’s platforms power Project Maven, the Pentagon’s AI-driven targeting and surveillance program, which was reportedly used to help generate targeting lists for the Israeli military in Gaza.
More than half of the company’s revenue is attributable to government sales, with total 2026 revenue expected to jump 70% to $7.18 billion to $7.2 billion. And despite reporting $1.5 billion in U.S. income in 2025, the company paid zero in federal income taxes, using a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that allowed for a deduction of research expenses.
Push for a draft
The first military draft in U.S. history was implemented during the Civil War. It was used again for World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
The last draft call was issued on Dec. 7, 1972, just as U.S. ground participation in Vietnam came to an end. It wasn’t until July 2, 1980, that President Jimmy Carter required all men to register with the Selective Service System, which maintains a list of eligible names in case the draft is ever revived.
Palantir’s manifesto arrived during the seventh week of U.S. military involvement in Iran, days after the Selective Service System moved toward automatic registration.
The National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Donald Trump has a provision that would shift Selective Service from voluntary to automatic registration of all eligible men ages 18 to 26.
The Selective Service System will be required to identify and register all eligible men beginning on Dec. 18, 2026, marking the most significant change since self-registration began in 1980.
Palantir has not responded to Fortune’s request for comment.
