They (maybe) pioneered forward-deployed software engineers. They certainly didn't pioneer sending engineers, or other experts, to help integrate systems.

no one is going to conflate a Palantir FDE with an actual pipehitter

Contractors doing IT support aren't "Operators" in the tactical sense, nor agents in the LE sense, nor Officers in the IC sense, nor a Boeing/Lockheed/Leidos/etc type developing weapons.

This is just a new method to scapegoat a company