US agency withdraws military-intel bid after Palantir protest

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has withdrawn its solicitation to build a next-generation military-intelligence analysis system used in targeting, following a formal protest Palantir filed in May, Bloomberg reported on July 24. Palantir had argued the government was pursuing a new platform despite the availability of commercially deployed software; the withdrawal pauses the roughly eight-year MARS (Machine-Assisted Rapid-Repository System) effort and may force the agency to rethink its acquisition approach. Palantir shares edged higher on the report.