Elon Musk to co-lead Pentagon’s four-month Project Meridian on future warfare

Elon Musk will co-lead the Pentagon’s new Project Meridian, focused on the conduct of future wars. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the initiative on October 1.

The project will run for four months. Musk will lead it with Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Hegseth said the group would assess areas the United States needs to master and develop systems required by future generations of service members.

Autonomous systems and defence contracts

The Washington Post reported that Musk would advise the group on autonomous drones. Musk previously said future wars would be defined by drones and hypersonic missiles.

Both co-leaders’ companies already hold major Pentagon contracts. SpaceX supports US national-security launches, while Anduril supplies electronic-warfare systems, interceptors, rocket engines and unmanned aircraft. Emil Michael, the Pentagon official responsible for technology, will help implement the project.

The New York Times raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest because members of the group have links to defence contractors. Officials involved in the initiative said the issue would be handled to prevent such conflicts. Musk did not respond to the paper’s request for comment, while Gingrich dismissed the concerns.

Musk’s return to Trump’s government

The project is Musk’s first official advisory role in Donald Trump’s administration since the dispute surrounding his work with DOGE. The disagreement followed a clash over a spending bill; Musk and Trump later resumed their public cooperation.

Musk has since appeared alongside the president at events involving artificial intelligence and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit. Federal Election Commission data cited in the report show that Musk spent more than $250 million supporting Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 campaign, and committed at least $90 million to activities linked to the US midterm elections.

Relevance for Ukraine

SpaceX provided Ukraine with Starlink terminals after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainian forces used the satellite service when mobile and internet connections were unavailable; the Pentagon later signed a contract with SpaceX to provide Starlink services to Ukraine.

In February, SpaceX said it had taken measures against Russia’s unauthorised use of Starlink. Musk said he was willing to help, while the report says he tied any permission for Ukrainian forces to use the system against targets deep inside Russia to an official political decision.