U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he is assigning research on the future of warfare to three figures from the private sector, including Elon Musk. The plan calls for defense companies to research weapons and systems directly and to strengthen self-reliant defense. The three newly appointed figures share one trait: each has either earned President Donald Trump's trust or been an enthusiastic supporter.
According to Bloomberg, Hegseth said on the 30th that SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Musk, Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich would lead an initiative called "Project Meridian." He made the remarks in a "State of the Force" address delivered to field-grade and junior officers and enlisted troops at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. All three attended the speech.
Hegseth said the project would focus on finding, developing and fielding "the weapons and the systems that our children and our grandchildren will need in their lifetimes." He added that artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons and cheap, mass-produced drones are increasingly shaping the battlefield, saying that those who best anticipate future conflict are not found only inside the Defense Department.
The purpose, he stressed, is to look creatively at the future and identify the domains to be conquered and the capabilities to be mastered. The research will be overseen by Emil Michael, a former Uber executive who now serves as the Pentagon's top technology official.
Musk's SpaceX and Luckey's Anduril are both major U.S. defense contractors. Gingrich has been an outspoken defender of Trump and has written books on technology and entrepreneurship. Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort, which sought to cut hundreds of thousands of federal jobs but ultimately failed to win public support. He now appears to have regained Trump's confidence.
Hegseth also unveiled plans to create an autonomous warfare command overseeing the operation and deployment of U.S. military drones and defense robots, to establish a religious affairs office for the armed forces, and to build the first new military base in the United States in 40 years. States would compete to host the base, which is intended to draw several thousand troops, and no site has been chosen. He said it would span hundreds of thousands of acres.
The Defense Department is also weighing a large reduction in U.S. troops stationed in Europe. Hegseth said the military would stay ahead of any global threat as it shifts its focus back to its original place, the defense of the homeland and the Western Hemisphere, adding that returning troops would get "beautiful new bases."
The address moved between explanations of the new initiatives, religious themes and derogatory remarks aimed at bearded troops and transgender service members. Hegseth accused some U.S. media outlets of "treason," saying they had covered Trump's war with Iran in an anti-American way.
