US Pentagon Launches Project Meridian, Led by Musk and Others to Study Future Warfare

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the launch of Project Meridian during a speech on the state of the military, aiming to study how future wars will unfold as technology advances rapidly. Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, and former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich will co-lead the effort, with participation from academia and policy experts, guided by US Department of Defense Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael.

The team will examine the "future battlefield" and the weapons and technologies troops may use. They must deliver findings within 120 days and propose actionable solutions to develop, test, and deploy advanced technologies to maintain US military dominance.

Hegseth also announced the creation of an "Autonomous Warfare Command" to speed up the development and deployment of autonomous systems and drones. A Pentagon notice said the study will be run through a partner organization, but did not name it or its leader.