Elon Musk is returning to an official role in the US government: Defense (War) Secretary Pete Hegseth has appointed him as one of three co-directors of "Project Meridian," a new Pentagon initiative designed to examine what future wars will look like and what technologies and weapons the American military will require.
Musk will lead the project alongside Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
The project is expected to examine technologies including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, robotics and other advanced capabilities, and to formulate recommendations for the military's development and procurement.
According to the Pentagon, the final report is due by January 28, 2027, with a public version to be released alongside a classified appendix.
Hegseth said the effort aims to recruit "America's best minds" to assess the future battlefield. Musk, whose companies SpaceX and xAI already work with the US Department of Defense, returns to formal work with the administration after leaving DOGE in 2025.
