Hegseth taps Musk, Luckey and Gingrich to lead Pentagon warfare study

The Pentagon has a new homework assignment, and it handed the group project to Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich. On September 30, 2026, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth used a “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico to unveil a set of modernization moves. The headliner was Project Meridian, a 120-day study meant to chart where warfare is heading and where the US military is falling short. What Hegseth announced Project Meridian will be co-led by Musk of SpaceX, Luckey of Anduril and former House Speaker Gingrich. Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael will oversee the effort. The mandate is broad. The group is tasked with mapping future warfare domains, identifying capability gaps and proposing actionable solutions for advanced military capabilities. The second major announcement was the Autonomous Warfare Command, or AUTOWARCOM. The new organization is anticipated to become a four-star combatant command by October 1, 2027. AUTOWARCOM’s job is to speed up the integration of autonomous and robotic systems across the US military. That means drones, uncrewed vehicles and other machines that can operate with limited or no direct human piloting. ...