Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has handed Elon Musk a new government assignment, naming the billionaire entrepreneur as one of three co-leads for a major Pentagon study on the future of warfare.
Hegseth revealed the appointments during his State of the Force address, naming Musk alongside former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and defense entrepreneur Palmer Luckey at the head of Project Meridian.
Elon Musk, Newt Gingrich and Palmer Luckey will co-lead the Pentagon’s Project Meridian study
Hegseth called the three men “the best forecasters of future conflict,” positioning them as the driving force behind an effort to map where modern combat is heading. For Musk, the role adds to an already unusual relationship with the federal government, given his sprawling business empire and recent political activity.
The defense secretary argued that the Pentagon cannot credibly audit itself. “There are obvious biases and risks to asking ourselves to both ask the questions and answer them,” Hegseth said. “So today we are leveraging a unique source of American advantage—one our adversaries do not have: our innovators, our senior leaders, and our technologists. Big thinkers and doers who will forecast the creative solution to tomorrow’s conflicts.”
He then confirmed the launch: “And that’s why today … I’m announcing Project Meridian, an effort led by America’s best minds to study the future of warfare.” Musk, Luckey and Gingrich will collaborate with private sector figures, outside experts and Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael, a former Uber vice president.
Together, they will “creatively look to the future and identify the domains that we must conquer.” The group would have to submit findings within 120 days, after which Hegseth promises a “full public rollout.”
Earlier in the same State of the Force speech, Hegseth rolled out the Autonomous Warfare Command, a new unit centered on robotic systems, artificial intelligence and drone operations. That focus overlaps with the business interests of both Musk and Luckey, who have spent years building companies in autonomous and defense technology.
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from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2026/09/30/pete-hegseth-lead-elon-musk-project-meridian-state-of-the-force-speech/
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