Elon Musk has his first official advisory role in the Trump administration since his public feud with President Trump, and it is a Pentagon study of how wars will be fought.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will lead "Project Meridian," per Colin Demarest's reporting. Hegseth unveiled it during his second address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.
The recap: Musk and Trump fell out very publicly last year after Musk left DOGE. Musk has since reconciled with Trump.
Hegseth said Meridian is not meant to produce new policy documents. Instead, it will examine "the domains we must conquer, and capabilities we must master."
"We are leveraging a unique source of American advantage, one our adversaries do not have: our innovators, our senior leaders and our technologists — big thinkers and doers who will forecast the creative solution for tomorrow's conflicts," Hegseth said.
Pentagon technology chief Emil Michael will help facilitate the project. Speaking to reporters in December about America's industrial base, Michael said he would like to see "five more Andurils and Palantirs and SpaceXs" flourish.
Musk's and Luckey's respective companies have big Pentagon contracts.
SpaceX serves as America's national-security launch backbone. Anduril furnishes jammers, interceptors, rocket motors and robo-wingmen. So two of the people steering the study of future warfare run companies that sell to the Pentagon. The source does not say how that overlap will be handled.
The Meridian leadership was expected to meet for the first time Wednesday. Hegseth said final findings are expected in 120 days, with a public rollout and a classified report planned.