Elon Musk will co-chair new US defense initiative called Project Meridian

Musk briefly commanded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), until his departure in May 2025, following a public departure from Trump.

In a speech Wednesday at the Quantico military base, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the so-called "Project Meridian" will be "an initiative led by the best minds in the United States to study the future of warfare."

"We are leveraging a unique source of American advantage, one that our adversaries do not have: our innovators, our great leaders and our technologists," Hegseth said.

Musk will co-chair Project Meridian alongside Palmer Luckey, co-founder of defense technology company Anduril Industries, and Newt Gingrich, the 83-year-old former Republican speaker of the House of Representatives.

Elon Musk supported Trump and contributed to his return to the White House in early 2025, but the two had a highly publicized break due to the spending policy promoted by the president.

He later resumed his contributions to Republican causes, including billion-dollar donations to candidates and conservative political groups.

Hegseth stated that the goal of the project is to "creatively examine the future and identify the fields we must master and the capabilities we must perfect."

Project members will include personally selected private sector leaders and experts from diverse areas of innovation, academia and public policy.

Hegseth determined that Project Meridian's conclusions be finalized and presented within 120 days.