Project Meridian

Musk to help lead Pentagon team studying the future of war

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk will co-lead a new Pentagon initiative called “Project Meridian,” a 120-day study that will examine the future of warfare and recommend weapons and capabilities the military should develop.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the announcement during his “State of the Force” address to junior officers and enlisted leaders on Sept. 30 at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The project will be co-directed by Musk, Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey and veteran political leader and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. A supporting team of “elite academic, policy, and industry experts” will help identify advanced systems and ways to accelerate their development and fielding to strengthen deterrence, according to a Pentagon statement.

The primary focus is assessing how breakthrough technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), advanced robotics, autonomous systems, directed energy, and biotechnology will transform future battlefields.

Musk’s SpaceX builds rockets and provides satellite and launch services, including for the U.S. government. Anduril develops autonomous weapons and military technology. Both hold multibillion-dollar defense contracts with the U.S. government.

The announcement comes a little less than three months after the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was disbanded. Musk, the world’s richest man, helped lead the organization, which was formed in 2025 with the aim of cutting government waste and modernizing federal technology.

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