Pentagon taps Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich to lead future warfare study

Elon Musk, Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey and former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich will co-lead a 120-day Pentagon study examining the capabilities the United States may need for future warfare, the US Department of War has announced.

The initiative, named Project Meridian, was commissioned by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to identify technologies and capabilities that could help maintain US military superiority over the long term.

The study will examine future battlefield requirements across a broad range of domains, from underground operations to the region between Earth and the Moon, known as cislunar space.

The department’s Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael will facilitate the project, while Musk, Luckey and Gingrich will work with experts from academia, policy and industry.

The department said the project would examine “the full spectrum of future warfighting domains, from subterranean depths to the cislunar frontier”.

Hegseth has directed the study to be completed within 120 days. Its final report will be released publicly in an unclassified form, accompanied by a separate classified annex. The report is expected to contain findings and recommendations on advanced systems that could be required in future conflicts.

The initiative was among six measures Hegseth announced during a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The other initiatives focus on autonomous warfare, officer training, domestic supply chains, military installations and religious support.

Under the autonomous warfare initiative, the department plans to establish an Autonomous Warfare Command as a four-star functional combatant command by October 1, 2027, with the stated aim of expanding autonomous systems across the US military.

Another programme, FORTRESS America, is intended to strengthen military installations against disruption and reduce dependence on foreign sources for critical materials and components. Its priorities include independent power generation at major bases, domestic supplies of rare earths and semiconductors, strategic reserves and protection against cyberattacks, sabotage and drones.

The Next Great American Base project would involve creating a new military installation equipped with independent power generation, autonomous systems and advanced air defences. States would compete to host the installation by submitting proposals offering land and other support.

The department also announced America’s Corps of Cadets, involving additional full-time programmes at five universities and colleges, and an Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to Hegseth.

Musk founded SpaceX in 2002, while Luckey founded Anduril Industries, a US defence technology company. Gingrich, a Republican from Georgia, served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999.