Project Meridian will spend 120 days examining future battlefields and the technologies U.S. forces could need to maintain a military advantage.
QUANTICO, VA — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has named Elon Musk, defense technology entrepreneur Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to co-direct a Pentagon project examining how warfare could change and what technologies U.S. forces may need in future conflicts.
The initiative, called Project Meridian, was announced Sept. 30 during Hegseth’s State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico. The 120-day effort will operate under the leadership of the department’s technology chief, Emil Michael, and draw on experts from industry, academia and policy. Its task is to study emerging battlefields and identify capabilities that the Pentagon could need years or decades from now.
Project Meridian is separate from another major initiative Hegseth announced at Quantico: the Autonomous Warfare Command, or AUTOWARCOM. The distinction is significant. Musk, Luckey and Gingrich were selected to help direct the temporary Meridian study, not to command the military’s new autonomous warfare organization. Hegseth said AUTOWARCOM will be led by a four-star officer and will focus on expanding autonomous and robotic capabilities across the armed forces.
Hegseth described Meridian as an effort to look beyond current military planning and examine where future conflicts could occur and which technologies could shape them. The department has pointed to rapid advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous systems, biotechnology and other fields as forces that could change how wars are fought. The study is expected to examine environments ranging from underground operations to areas beyond Earth.
The project is intended to produce recommendations rather than develop a new military strategy or set policy on its own. Hegseth said its participants will examine future warfare domains and the capabilities U.S. forces may need to operate in them. The Pentagon expects the work to result in recommendations on advanced systems that could be developed, tested and eventually fielded. A public presentation of the findings and a classified component are planned after the study is completed.
Musk’s participation gives the SpaceX chief another formal advisory role involving the federal government. SpaceX is also a major U.S. defense contractor, providing launch and other space-related services to the government. Luckey founded Anduril Industries, a defense technology company that develops autonomous systems and other military products and also holds government contracts. Their business interests have prompted questions about potential conflicts as the project considers technologies the Pentagon may pursue. The department’s announcement emphasizes their experience as private-sector technology leaders.
Gingrich brings a different background to the project. The former Republican House speaker has remained involved in public policy discussions since leaving Congress and previously served on the Defense Policy Board. Together, the three co-directors are expected to work with a broader group of academic, industry and policy specialists rather than conduct the study alone.
Meridian is part of a wider Pentagon effort announced by Hegseth to speed the military’s adoption of emerging technology. AUTOWARCOM is designed to give autonomous warfare a dedicated command structure, including authority over personnel, budgets and acquisition. Hegseth also said the military services would establish career paths tied to autonomous warfare as the department seeks to make drones, robotics and artificial intelligence a larger part of future operations.
The Pentagon’s emphasis on autonomy reflects changes already visible in modern conflicts, where inexpensive drones and other unmanned systems have taken on larger battlefield roles. Military planners have been examining how autonomous aircraft, ground vehicles, artificial intelligence and large numbers of lower-cost systems could complement traditional aircraft, ships and other weapons. Hegseth said the pace of technological change requires the department to shorten the time between identifying a military need and putting new systems into service.
Project Meridian does not itself place Musk in charge of AUTOWARCOM or the Pentagon’s weapons procurement system. His role is as one of three co-directors of the future-warfare study operating under Michael’s leadership. The separate autonomous warfare command is intended to become a permanent military organization with its own four-star commander.
The Meridian team is expected to complete its work within 120 days of the project’s establishment. Its recommendations will provide the Pentagon with a longer-range assessment of future warfare and technologies that department leaders can consider as they make decisions about research, development and military capabilities.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 2, 2026.