Elon Musk to Co-Lead Pentagon's Project Meridian on Future Warfare
Elon Musk is returning to work with the Trump administration, this time to help the Pentagon imagine the wars of the future. War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that Musk will co-lead Project Meridian, a 120-day study of the weapons and technologies the U.S. military may need in the decades ahead.
Musk will share the role with Palmer Luckey, who founded the virtual reality company Oculus before starting defense firm Anduril Industries, and Newt Gingrich, who served as House speaker from 1995 to 1999.
What Project Meridian Will Do
The study will examine where warfare is headed and which emerging technologies could give the U.S. an edge. Its mandate stretches "from under the Earth to beyond the moon," according to Open Magazine.
Hegseth said the team will "creatively look into the future and identify the domains we must conquer, and capabilities we must master."
The group is expected to propose actionable ways to develop, test and field new technology. Its findings will be released publicly, along with a classified annex.
The project will operate under Emil Michael, the department's chief technology officer.
Why Outsiders Were Chosen
Hegseth argued that some of the best thinking on future conflict comes from outside the military.
"The best forecasters of future conflict do not solely reside inside the Pentagon," Hegseth said, according to Fox News. "There are obvious biases and risks to asking ourselves to both ask the questions and answer them."
He pointed to fast-moving fields that could reshape the battlefield. "We are witnessing rapid advances in artificial intelligence, autonomy, directed energy, robotics, biotechnology, among other critical high-tech areas," he said.
A New Command for Robot Warfare
Hegseth also announced the creation of the Autonomous Warfare Command, known as AUTOWARCOM. The new four-star combatant command will focus on expanding autonomous and robotic systems across the military.
Alongside the announcements, the Pentagon unveiled FORTRESS America, an initiative to make major military bases able to generate their own power independent of the civilian grid.
"If an adversary takes down the grid, by cyberattack, by sabotage, by any means, our bases stay lit," Hegseth said. He added that the plan would bring home critical supply chains for rare earths, specialty metals, semiconductors and propellants.
The push comes as the Pentagon has pressed defense manufacturers for faster weapons production during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Musk's Return to Government
The appointment marks Musk's first official role in the administration since he left the Department of Government Efficiency in May 2025 after a falling-out with the White House. DOGE formally shut down this July.
Musk recently joined other tech leaders for lunch with the president to discuss artificial intelligence, according to TechCrunch.
His wealth and influence have only grown. SpaceX went public in June, and its record-setting IPO made Musk the world's first trillionaire.
Conflict of Interest Questions
Both Musk and Luckey run companies with major defense business. SpaceX launches satellites for the U.S. government and operates a satellite network that supports national security missions. Anduril has recently won Pentagon contracts for long-range missiles, semi-autonomous fighter aircraft and an Army intelligence system.
That overlap has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest. Critics could argue the two men may recommend solutions their own companies already sell, TechCrunch noted. The Pentagon declined to comment beyond Hegseth's announcement.
Hegseth himself has faced growing scrutiny in Congress this fall. Last month, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against him over the Iran war.
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