Data centers could help determine who wins the next war, and a shortage of compute would be ‘catastrophic,’ retired general says

Americans are revolting against AI data centers and the power plants that feed them, but they are critical to national security, according to retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, who is now dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

In a Washington Post op-ed on Thursday, he argued that data infrastructure will be key to connect the Pentagon’s myriad weapons, such as long-range munitions, advanced combat aircraft, space systems, missile defenses, and drones.

“Data is no longer merely a tool of commerce. It is a strategic asset,” Deptula wrote. “Nearly every function in the military depends on the ability to store, move, process, secure and exploit vast quantities of data at speed and scale.”

Indeed, the war in Iran demonstrated AI’s ability to analyze data from across different sources and rapidly provide targeting information. Helped by AI-powered platforms from Palantir, the U.S. and Israel struck thousands of targets within the opening days of the conflict.

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