Elon Musk is set to return to an official advisory role within the Trump administration after being selected to co-lead a new Pentagon initiative examining how warfare could evolve in the coming years.
The project, known as Project Meridian, was announced by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico on 30 September.
The initiative will bring together technology leaders, academics and policy experts to examine emerging military capabilities and identify technologies the United States may need for future battlefields.
Musk Joins Luckey and Gingrich
Musk will co-lead the project alongside Palmer Luckey, co-founder of defence technology company Anduril Industries, and former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
The group will operate under the direction of Pentagon technology chief Emil Michael, with the broader project expected to draw on specialists from the private sector, academia and policy communities.
Hegseth said Project Meridian would draw on expertise outside the traditional military establishment as the Pentagon attempts to anticipate rapid technological changes.
“We are leveraging a unique source of American advantage, one our adversaries do not have: our innovators, our senior leaders and our technologists,” Hegseth said.
Project Will Look Beyond Traditional Battlefields
The Pentagon has given the project a broad mandate to examine emerging areas of warfare and determine which capabilities could become important to the US military.
According to the Defense Department’s description, the initiative will examine developments involving artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, robotics, biotechnology and other advanced technologies. It is intended to identify capabilities that could be developed, tested and deployed in future military operations.
Hegseth described the task as looking ahead to identify the domains the United States needs to master and the capabilities it needs to develop.
120-Day Deadline Set for Findings
Project Meridian has been given a 120-day timeframe to complete its work.
The project is expected to produce an unclassified report containing its findings and recommendations, with reporting also indicating that a classified annex will accompany the public document.
The initiative forms part of a wider push by the Pentagon to accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous and other advanced military technologies.
Musk’s Previous Government Role
Musk’s appointment marks his first formal return to government work since leaving the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, in May 2025.
His tenure in the administration ended after a highly publicised dispute with President Donald Trump, following Musk’s earlier support for Trump’s return to the White House.
Musk subsequently resumed political giving, including donations to Republican candidates and conservative political organisations, according to reports. His new Pentagon role therefore represents a notable change from his departure from the administration.
Defence Contracts Add Another Dimension
Musk’s involvement also comes as his companies maintain significant relationships with the US government.
SpaceX, which Musk leads, provides launch and satellite-related services to the US government, while Luckey’s Anduril is a major defence technology company involved in developing autonomous systems and other military equipment.
Their participation gives Project Meridian direct access to executives working on technologies relevant to the Pentagon’s stated objectives. At the same time, reporting has noted that their existing defence businesses could raise questions about the intersection between their commercial interests and the technologies the project may recommend.
Pentagon Looks to Technology for Future Warfare
Project Meridian is one part of a broader effort announced by Hegseth to reshape how the US military approaches emerging technologies.
The Pentagon also announced plans for an Autonomous Warfare Command aimed at accelerating the use of autonomous and robotic systems.
For Musk, the project marks a return to an official government role and places one of the world’s most prominent technology entrepreneurs at the centre of a Pentagon effort to determine what future warfare could look like.
