diff --git a/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/movement.rs b/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/movement.rs
index cd5a0704..3a4fa58a 100644
--- a/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/movement.rs
+++ b/src/simulator/crates/mc-ai/src/tactical/movement.rs
@@ -381,20 +381,20 @@ fn is_military(unit: &TacticalUnit) -> bool {
 // ── Enemy / diplomacy enumeration ────────────────────────────────────────
 
 pub(super) fn is_at_war(me: &TacticalPlayerState, opponent_index: u8) -> bool {
-    // Canonical model is courier-diplomacy: pairs start at PEACE and war
-    // begins when a player dispatches a war-dec envelope (COMMUNICATIONS.md
-    // §"War declaration semantics"; p1-01's "missing → war" is superseded,
-    // see p3-16). `project_tactical_relations` fills the relations vec, so a
-    // slot is normally present; the `map_or(true, …)` fallback only fires for
-    // a genuinely absent slot and is left open so a not-yet-projected pair
-    // never silently blocks retaliation.
+    // Canonical model is courier-diplomacy: every pair starts at PEACE and war
+    // begins only when a player dispatches a war-dec envelope (COMMUNICATIONS.md
+    // §"War declaration semantics"). p1-01's legacy "missing relation → war" is
+    // SUPERSEDED (p3-16): an absent slot now defaults to PEACE, so the AI never
+    // treats a not-yet-projected pair as a phantom war. `project_tactical_relations`
+    // fills the vec from the courier relation state, so real wars are present;
+    // `< 0` is the at-war marker.
     if (opponent_index as usize) == (me.index as usize) {
         return false;
     }
     me.relations
         .get(opponent_index as usize)
         .copied()
-        .map_or(true, |r| r < 0)
+        .map_or(false, |r| r < 0)
 }
 
 fn collect_enemy_units<'a>(