The Pentagon taps Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to help decide what the military should do next

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth utilized a “State of the Force” code connected Wednesday to motorboat a caller effort to survey however warfare whitethorn beryllium fought arsenic tech advances rapidly. It’s being called Project Meridian.

Elon Musk, Anduril laminitis Palmer Luckey, and erstwhile House Speaker Newt Gingrich volition co-lead the project. They’ll beryllium joined by others from fields specified arsenic academia and policy, each moving nether the absorption of Defense Department CTO Emil Michael. Their occupation is to “study the battlefields of the future” and the “weapons and technologies warfighters” whitethorn usage connected them, said Hegseth in a letter announcing the project.

The squad (it is unclear however galore radical volition beryllium connected it) volition person 120 days to taxable its findings and suggest “actionable solutions to commencement developing, testing, and fielding” precocious exertion meant to support America a ascendant subject power, per Hegseth.

Hegseth besides announced an Autonomous Warfare Command on Wednesday to velocity up the improvement and deployment of autonomous systems and drones. One funny item successful the Pentagon’s announcement is that the survey volition travel done a partner organization, but the announcement does not accidental who that enactment is oregon who leads it. TechCrunch has reached retired to the Defense Department for comment.

Musk’s and Luckey’s engagement is hardly surprising. Musk, successful particular, has reportedly renewed adjacent ties with the medication and precocious had luncheon with the president — alongside different apical AI leaders — to sermon the aboriginal of AI. The task seemingly marks his archetypal authoritative instrumentality to the administration’s fold since helium near the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) past year.

Musk’s SpaceX launches satellites for the U.S. authorities and operates a outer web that supports nationalist defence and information missions. Luckey’s defence tech institution Anduril, meanwhile, creates autonomous subject systems and drones and was precocious awarded authorities contracts to produce long-range missiles, semi-autonomous combatant aircraft, and proviso hardware and integration for the Army’s mobile quality system.  

The Trump medication has made precocious subject exertion a priority, successful some improvement and purchasing, and has looked to Silicon Valley-approved companies to assistance marque this happen. Critics could reason that putting Musk and Luckey connected Project Meridian straight aligns with their concern interests, since they would beryllium trying to find solutions their companies already sell.