Elon Musk will co‑lead the Pentagon’s 120‑day Project Meridian study on future warfare, starting Wednesday at Quantico alongside Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Musk returned after resigning from the Department of Government Efficiency in May 2025, where he cut federal jobs. He has long been a Pentagon contractor: SpaceX builds satellite networks for the “Golden Dome” missile shield, and xAI’s Grok chatbot is now licensed for classified systems.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Project Meridian will harness America’s innovators as a unique advantage and will identify domains the U.S. must master. Musk’s return follows a prior clash with Trump over spending legislation, but the two have reconciled; Musk has visited the Oval Office and sat beside Trump at the AI lunch.
For the 30‑year‑old Musk, the move signals a deeper engagement with national security after he spent more than ₹250 million supporting Trump in 2024. Meanwhile, the study could shape procurement decisions that affect thousands of defense contractors.
Hegseth said the project’s findings will be delivered within 120 days, after which the Pentagon will review them to guide future defense policy.