Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a "State of the Force" address on Wednesday to announce Project Meridian, a new Department of Defense effort to study how warfare might change as technology advances. The initiative will be co‑led by Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, with participants from academia and policy working under the direction of DoD Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael.
According to Hegseth's announcement letter, the team's task is to "study the battlefields of the future" and the "weapons and technologies warfighters" may use. The group — the announcement did not specify its size — will have 120 days to present its findings and to propose "actionable solutions to start developing, testing, and fielding" advanced technologies intended to help maintain American military dominance.
Autonomous Warfare Command and partner organization
Hegseth also announced the creation of an Autonomous Warfare Command to accelerate development and fielding of autonomous systems and drones. The Pentagon said the Project Meridian study will be conducted through a partner organization, but it did not identify that organization or its leadership in the public announcement.
When TechCrunch requested comment, the Department of Defense referred inquiries to the press release and said it had "nothing further to provide beyond the Secretary's comments."
The leaders' defense industry connections
The involvement of Musk and Luckey is described in the announcement and has contextual precedent. Elon Musk has reportedly renewed close ties with the administration and recently had lunch with the president alongside other top artificial intelligence leaders to discuss the future of AI; the project appears to mark his first formal return to the administration since he left the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last year.
SpaceX conducts satellite launches for the U.S. government and operates a satellite network that supports national defense and security missions. Palmer Luckey's company, Anduril, develops autonomous military systems and drones; Anduril has recently received government contracts to produce long‑range missiles and semi‑autonomous fighter aircraft and to provide hardware and integration for the Army's mobile intelligence system.
Conflict of interest concerns
The Trump administration has prioritized advanced military technology development and procurement and has turned to Silicon Valley–aligned companies to help achieve those goals. Observers and critics note that placing Musk and Luckey in leadership roles on Project Meridian raises potential conflicts of interest, because the study's aim to identify technological solutions could overlap with products and services sold by their companies.
Timeline and next steps
The announcement was made on Wednesday; the appointed team has 120 days to compile recommendations. The Pentagon has not released additional details about the partner organization that will manage the study or about the project's full membership.
