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Pentagon forms new team to assess future war needs

The U.S. Department of Defense has tasked Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich under Project Meridian with identifying the military capabilities, technologies and weapons that may be needed in future wars. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the project will last 120 days and will focus on helping the U.S. military maintain its technological edge over the long term.

Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Hegseth said the initiative is not aimed at drafting a new strategy or policy, but at determining where the military needs to gain an advantage. The project will be overseen by the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, Emil Michael.

According to Hegseth, the effort will center on “discovering, developing and fielding” the systems future troops may need in domains ranging from underground operations to beyond the Moon. The broader team will include people from government, industry, academia and the policy world.

Existing contracts point to a multibillion-dollar defense market

The appointments place Musk and Luckey in a position to help define the Pentagon’s future technology needs at a time when their companies are already winning major defense contracts. The decision also draws financial attention to where defense technology spending could move next.

Current work for SpaceX and Anduril

SpaceX already has numerous contracts with the Pentagon. In May, the U.S. Space Force awarded the company $4.16 billion for a satellite system to track and target aerial threats, followed days later by a separate $2.29 billion contract for a military satellite communications network.

Anduril develops autonomous weapons and other military technologies. The Marine Corps gave the company a contract in 2025 worth up to $642 million for systems to counter drones.

  • SpaceX’s two May contracts totaled $6.45 billion.
  • Anduril’s counter-drone system contract is worth up to $642 million.

Pentagon plans separate command for autonomous warfare

The announcement came as part of the Pentagon’s broader push into autonomous warfare. Hegseth also unveiled plans on Wednesday for a new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command aimed at scaling autonomous and robotic systems across the military.

It was noted that none of Project Meridian’s co-leaders — Musk, Luckey or Gingrich — have served in the U.S. military. SpaceX, Anduril, Tesla and Gingrich did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the announcement.

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