Musk Working With Trump Again

The Pentagon is bringing some of America’s best-known technology and political figures into a new effort aimed at preparing the U.S. military for wars that could be fought years—or even decades—from now.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that Elon Musk, Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will help lead Project Meridian, a new Pentagon initiative examining the future of warfare.

The project is expected to study emerging weapons, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and other technologies that could determine whether the United States maintains an advantage over increasingly sophisticated foreign adversaries.

Hegseth unveiled Project Meridian during his “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia as part of a broader package of six major initiatives intended to shape Pentagon planning for years to come.

Pentagon Looks Outside Washington for Answers

Project Meridian is based on a straightforward concern: military technology is changing so quickly that traditional Pentagon planning may not always be able to anticipate what the next battlefield will look like.

Hegseth said the department needs to think far beyond today’s weapons programs and consider what American troops could require years into the future.

He also argued that some of the people most capable of forecasting technological change may be found outside the Pentagon.

That is where Musk, Luckey and Gingrich come in.

Musk has helped build companies involved in rockets, satellites, artificial intelligence and communications. Luckey founded defense technology company Anduril, which specializes in autonomous military systems. Gingrich brings decades of experience in politics and public policy.

According to current reporting, the three will co-lead the 120-day examination under the direction of Defense Department technology chief Emil Michael. The effort will also involve experts from private industry, academia, government and the national security community.

What Is Project Meridian?

Unlike a traditional Pentagon strategy review, Project Meridian is supposed to concentrate on the technologies and capabilities the military may eventually need rather than writing another broad policy document.

The initiative will examine what future battlefields could look like and identify areas where the United States may need to develop a decisive technological advantage.

Hegseth said the goal is to determine which military domains America must master and what capabilities U.S. forces will need to remain ahead of potential adversaries.

The project comes as drones, artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, advanced satellites and electronic warfare are rapidly changing military operations around the world.

Hegseth pointed to autonomous warfare as one example of an area where the military could have begun preparing much earlier.

The broader message behind Project Meridian is that Pentagon leaders do not want to make the same mistake with the next generation of technology.

Musk Brings Major Pentagon Ties

Musk’s participation is especially notable because his companies already play an important role in America’s military and space infrastructure.

SpaceX has secured billions of dollars in U.S. Space Force work.

In May 2026, the Space Force awarded SpaceX a $4.16 billion contract involving a satellite system designed to help track airborne threats. Reuters reported that the system forms part of broader U.S. efforts to expand space-based military sensing capabilities.

Only days earlier, SpaceX received another $2.29 billion contract to develop a secure, high-speed military satellite communications network known as the Space Data Network Backbone. The network is intended to connect sensors and weapons systems using low-Earth-orbit satellites.

Those contracts highlight how heavily the modern military increasingly relies on commercial technology companies for capabilities that once would have been developed almost entirely inside the traditional defense industry.

Musk’s new Project Meridian role gives him another avenue to shape discussions about the technologies American forces could require in future conflicts.

Palmer Luckey’s Anduril Already Works With Marines

Luckey also enters the project with significant Pentagon experience.

His company, Anduril Industries, has emerged as a major player in the growing market for autonomous defense technology, artificial intelligence and systems designed to counter hostile drones.

In March 2025, Anduril announced that it had received a 10-year Marine Corps contract valued at up to $642 million to provide counter-drone technology for Marine installations.

The contract covers the delivery, installation and support of systems intended to detect, track and respond to small unmanned aircraft threats.

Anduril had previously received a separate $200 million Marine Corps contract related to counter-drone capabilities.

That background makes Luckey’s inclusion in Project Meridian particularly relevant as drones and autonomous weapons assume a larger role in modern warfare.

Pentagon Wants Answers in Just 120 Days

One of the more unusual elements of Project Meridian is its tight deadline.

Large Pentagon studies can take months or years, but Hegseth wants this project completed in approximately 120 days.

According to the Pentagon’s announcement and current reporting, the initiative is intended to produce findings about the technologies and capabilities likely to define future warfare.

The department plans to release an unclassified public report while keeping more sensitive information in a classified annex.

The short schedule appears designed to prevent the project from turning into another lengthy government study that could be overtaken by technological change before its recommendations are implemented.

Technology Is Changing the Battlefield

The timing of Project Meridian reflects a much broader transformation taking place within the military.

Small drones can now destroy equipment costing millions of dollars. Artificial intelligence can process battlefield information at speeds impossible for human analysts. Autonomous systems can conduct surveillance or assist military units without requiring large numbers of personnel.

Satellites have also become increasingly important for communications, intelligence, targeting and missile defense.

That creates both an opportunity and a challenge for the Pentagon.

America remains home to many of the world’s most advanced technology companies, but civilian innovation often moves far faster than the government’s traditional weapons procurement system.

Project Meridian appears designed in part to bridge that gap by bringing leading technology figures directly into discussions about what America’s future military should look like.

Major Questions Remain

Bringing private-sector leaders into military planning could give Pentagon officials access to expertise that is difficult to replicate inside government.

At the same time, the relationships between defense contractors and government decision-making are likely to attract scrutiny.

Both SpaceX and Anduril hold substantial federal defense contracts, meaning their executives will participate in a project examining technologies that could influence future Pentagon priorities.

That does not by itself determine what Project Meridian will recommend, but it makes transparency surrounding the project’s conclusions especially important.

Lawmakers, taxpayers and defense officials will ultimately have to evaluate whether any resulting proposals improve military readiness, provide value for taxpayers and strengthen America’s ability to respond to emerging threats.

America’s Next Military Advantage Could Be Decided Now

Project Meridian represents an effort to answer a question with enormous consequences: What will American service members need to win conflicts 10, 20 or even 30 years from now?

The Pentagon believes Musk, Luckey, Gingrich and a larger group of military, academic and technology experts can help provide some of those answers.

The final report could influence discussions about autonomous weapons, artificial intelligence, military satellites, robotics, advanced communications and other next-generation defense systems.

With the project scheduled to conclude after just 120 days, Americans should soon get their first public look at what the Pentagon’s outside advisers believe the future battlefield may require.

Whatever recommendations emerge, one thing is increasingly clear: the race for military superiority is no longer only about ships, tanks and aircraft.

Software, artificial intelligence, robotics, satellites and autonomous systems are rapidly becoming central to America’s national defense—and Project Meridian is intended to determine what comes next.