Elon Musk to Co-Lead US Effort to Study Future of Warfare, Pete Hegseth Announces

Elon Musk gets new Pentagon role

Elon Musk is set to co-lead a new US government effort examining how warfare could evolve in the coming years and decades.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Project Meridian during his State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on September 30. The initiative will be led by Musk alongside Palmer Luckey, founder of defence technology company Anduril Industries, and former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Hegseth said the project would bring together innovators, military leaders and technology experts to look beyond existing assumptions about warfare and identify future military capabilities.

What is Project Meridian?

Project Meridian is a 120-day study focused on mapping the future trajectory of warfare, emerging domains of conflict and technologies that could shape future battlefields.

According to reporting on Hegseth's announcement, the project will examine areas ranging from artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons to space and the region between Earth and the Moon, as well as other emerging forms of warfare. Its findings are expected to include a public component and a classified assessment.

The effort will operate under the direction of Emil Michael, the Pentagon's chief technology officer, with participation from additional experts from the private sector, academia and policy circles.

Why Musk was chosen

Musk brings extensive experience in space technology and satellite communications through SpaceX, which has significant contracts with the US government.

Hegseth has previously highlighted technologies including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, hypersonic weapons, long-range drones and space capabilities as important areas of military competition. In remarks at SpaceX, he said the US needs to accelerate technological development and develop new approaches to warfare.

Luckey also has direct experience in defence technology through Anduril, which develops autonomous systems and other military technologies.

Pentagon also creates Autonomous Warfare Command

The announcement came alongside a broader military technology push.

Hegseth announced the creation of the Autonomous Warfare Command, or AUTOWARCOM, a new four-star command intended to accelerate the deployment of autonomous and robotic systems throughout the US military.

The Pentagon said the new command would help overcome organisational and technological barriers to deploying drones, robotics and other autonomous capabilities at scale.

Hegseth has argued that the rapid development of autonomous systems is changing assumptions that have governed military planning for decades.

Musk's return to an official Trump administration role

Project Meridian also marks Musk's return to a formal advisory role within the Trump administration after his earlier involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk's relationship with President Donald Trump deteriorated publicly after he left the administration, but the two have subsequently re-established contact. The new Pentagon role represents his first formal position advising the administration since his departure from DOGE, according to Axios.

Musk's involvement also comes as SpaceX continues to have business interests connected to the US government, making the role subject to questions about potential conflicts of interest. Such questions have been raised in reporting about the initiative, although the announcement itself does not establish any wrongdoing.

What will the study examine?

Project detailInformationProjectProject MeridianAnnounced byWar Secretary Pete HegsethCo-leadersElon Musk, Palmer Luckey, Newt GingrichDuration120 daysFocusFuture warfare, emerging domains and military technologiesPentagon official overseeing effortCTO Emil MichaelExpected outputPublic findings and classified assessmentAnnouncement venueMarine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia

Project Meridian is part of a wider Pentagon effort under Hegseth to adapt the US military to rapidly changing technologies, particularly AI, drones, robotics and autonomous systems.