Pentagon taps Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey for new war-tech study

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a “State of the Force” address on Wednesday to launch Project Meridian, a new effort to study how war may be fought as technology advances rapidly.

Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will co-lead the project, joined by others from academia and policy, all working under Defense Department CTO Emil Michael. Hegseth said in a letter announcing the initiative that their job is to “study the battlefields of the future” and the weapons and technologies warfighters may use on them. The team, whose size is unclear, has 120 days to submit its findings and propose solutions for developing, testing, and fielding technology meant to keep the US a dominant military power. The study will run through a partner organization that the Pentagon’s announcement does not name, nor does it name who leads it.

Hegseth also announced an Autonomous Warfare Command the same day, meant to speed up development and deployment of autonomous systems and drones. Asked for more detail, the Defense Department referred TechCrunch to a press release and said it had nothing further to add beyond the secretary’s comments.

Musk’s and Luckey’s roles are not surprising. Musk has reportedly renewed close ties with the administration and recently had lunch with the president alongside other top AI leaders to discuss AI’s future — a project that seemingly marks his first official return to the administration since leaving the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last year. His SpaceX launches satellites for the US government and runs a satellite network supporting national defense missions, while Luckey’s Anduril builds autonomous military systems and drones and recently won government contracts for long-range missiles, semi-autonomous fighter aircraft, and hardware for the Army’s mobile intelligence system.

The Trump administration has made advanced military technology a priority in both development and purchasing, turning to Silicon Valley-approved companies to deliver it. Critics could argue that putting Musk and Luckey on Project Meridian directly aligns with their business interests, since they would be helping find solutions their own companies already sell.

Why it matters

The arrangement sets a precedent for embedding commercial defense contractors directly in setting the Pentagon’s technology priorities, with Musk’s SpaceX and Luckey’s Anduril both already positioned to benefit from whatever Project Meridian recommends.