The Pentagon has launched Project Meridian, a 120-day initiative to study how future wars might be fought and what technologies the U.S. military will need, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday. Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will co-lead the effort, according to all three sources. The project will propose "actionable solutions" for developing, testing, and fielding advanced capabilities.
The sources agree on the basic structure but differ in emphasis. TechCrunch reports that the study will come through an unnamed partner organization and that Hegseth also announced an Autonomous Warfare Command to speed up drone and autonomous systems deployment. Engadget notes that none of the three co-leaders has served in the military, and that Musk's SpaceX and Luckey's Anduril already hold Pentagon contracts worth up to $4.16 billion. CNBC's report is brief, focusing on the initiative's goal of maintaining a technological edge over potential adversaries.
Both TechCrunch and Engadget raise conflict-of-interest concerns, pointing out that Musk and Luckey could steer recommendations toward products their companies sell. The Pentagon has not provided further detail beyond Hegseth's announcement, according to TechCrunch, which said the department offered "nothing further" when asked for comment.