For the full story from Marisa Taylor, @kenli729.bsky.social @learmonth.bsky.social and me, read here: www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

New & legacy defense contractors are in talks w/ various agencies to aid border-security work & build on existing deals, the sources said. What this may look like: Palantir powers DoD's Maven, using AI to speed up target identification. Anduril has deployed sensor towers for CBP.

And while the U.S. has deployed border surveillance for years, its latest initiative seeks to grow use of military capabilities generally built for overseas. The U.S. could use AI to ID objects/persons of interest in satellite & data feeds, like DoD can do in war, 2 sources said.

Asked for comment, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the government's lead unit for integrating spy efforts, said all intelligence activities are "legal and authorized" and conducted "in a manner that protects the civil liberties and privacy of U.S. persons."

Reuters could not determine whether the effort would gather imagery of U.S. territory. The agencies' focus on the border could force the administration to grapple with safeguards against collecting intelligence on Americans, three experts said.

The agencies, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency & National Reconnaissance Office, are part of DoD. They oversee spy satellites and analyze imagery for the Pentagon & IC. Their engagement shows militarization of the border where President Trump has declared an emergency.