Pentagon Turns to Musk via 'Meridian' to Study 'Future of Wars'

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and X, will return to government work through a new project studying the "future of wars."

According to Axios, Musk will lead, alongside Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Pentagon study on the future of war dubbed "Project Meridian."

The new American project explores how battlefields will change in the future and the capabilities the US military will need to maintain its technological superiority.

This marks Musk's first official role as an advisor in the US administration since his public disagreement with President Donald Trump last year after leaving the Department of War, according to Axios.

Hegseth's announcement came during a speech delivered on Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, where he addressed the state of the US military and unveiled six new initiatives for the Department of War, according to the Pentagon website.

The website stated in a release, "After reviewing the past year and reaffirming the Department of War's priorities of enhancing warrior ethos, rebuilding the force, and preserving peace through strength via deterrence, Hegseth identified his six new initiatives."

The initiatives include, according to the statement: establishing a new four-star combatant command named Independent War Command; and a project to study the future of war titled "Project Meridian."

The initiatives also include a forward-looking program aimed at aligning base and infrastructure projects to ensure their collective progress toward greater autonomy, titled "Federal Operations for Resilience, Force Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survival," or "Fortress America."

The initiatives further include a call to establish a new, advanced military installation through a project titled "The Next Great American Base."

Hegseth added that new military occupational specialties would be created in each military department to support the transition toward autonomy.

He said: "Today, with autonomous war leadership, we cement - and amplify - the era of superintelligence, robotics, and autonomous systems, all for the sake of victory."

Turning to Project Meridian, Hegseth said the Pentagon's Chief Technology Officer would collaborate with private sector entities to study the future of wars, noting that the project does not aim to develop new strategies or policies.

He added: "Rather, its purpose is to creatively envision the future and identify the domains we must control and the capabilities we must master... to achieve technological and military superiority on the battlefield for decades to come; it is intentionally a future-focused project."

Regarding the "Fortress America" program, Hegseth said it calls for every US military installation to eventually operate on its own power, enhancing the security of every facility on US soil against any breach and bringing vital supply chains home.

He continued: "No matter the circumstances, this department will possess the strength, equipment, and supplies necessary to fight the enemy... The Department of War will serve as the insurance policy for the entire nation."

Hegseth's discussion of "Fortress America" moved to the concept behind the "Next Great American Base" project, which he described as a dynamic and sustainable platform for power projection, stating that leaders of each state in the union would be able to present a "compelling pitch" explaining why their state should host this new base.