The Pentagon has assigned Elon Musk to co-lead a sweeping initiative examining the future of American military dominance, from underground combat to operations beyond the moon, in a role that positions the tech billionaire at the center of defense planning for decades to come.

Project Meridian Launches With 120-Day Timeline

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that Musk will co-lead Project Meridian alongside defense tech billionaire Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The initiative operates under War Department Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael and has 120 days to map emerging warfare domains and technologies. The project culminates in both a public rollout and classified annex detailing findings on capabilities future American troops will need to master.

Hegseth made the announcement during his State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, telling an audience of rising military leaders that the Pentagon cannot rely solely on internal forecasters. He met with Musk, Luckey, and Gingrich at a secure site 200 yards from the stage immediately following his speech to begin the effort.

Tech Leaders Bring Industry Experience And Potential Conflicts

Both Musk and Luckey enter the project with direct military contracting experience. SpaceX serves as a major Pentagon contractor, while Luckey founded Anduril Industries, which specializes in autonomous weapons and advanced military systems. Their positions provide firsthand knowledge of emerging battlefield technology but could raise conflict-of-interest questions as defense company executives help identify which capabilities and technologies the military should pursue.

The initiative’s mandate stretches from subterranean warfare to space operations beyond lunar orbit. Rather than developing strategies or policies, Project Meridian will identify domains requiring American dominance and focus on discovering, developing, and fielding weapons systems for future generations of troops.

Autonomous Warfare Takes Center Stage

Hegseth paired the Meridian announcement with the creation of Autonomous Warfare Command, a new four-star combatant command with service-like authorities to scale robotic capabilities across military branches. The War Department will phase in new career frameworks for what Hegseth called autonomous warfighters. Hegseth acknowledged the military should have established such a command a decade ago, positioning Meridian as the tool to prevent falling behind future technological transformations.

This year’s State of the Force address targeted a different audience than last year’s presentation. Instead of summoning generals and admirals, Hegseth addressed top-performing enlisted service members and junior officers, calling them the military’s current and future leaders who will implement the sweeping technological changes ahead.