US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced a new initiative, Project Meridian, to study the future of warfare. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk will co-lead the project with defence-tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey and former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Fox News reported.

Hegseth announced the initiative during his “State of the Force” address on Thursday. The project will operate under the supervision of the department’s Chief Technology Officer, Emil Michael. Hegseth said the panel would bring outside expertise into discussions about how warfare could evolve.

Describing the initiative, Hegseth said, “an effort led by America's best minds to study the future of warfare.” He said the Pentagon should look beyond its own internal assessments when preparing for future conflicts.

“The best forecasters of future conflict do not solely reside inside the Pentagon. There are obvious biases and risks to asking ourselves to both ask the questions and answer them,” Hegseth said, according to Fox News.

The panel will begin work immediately. Hegseth was scheduled to meet Musk, Luckey and Gingrich at a secure facility near the stage after his address. Project Meridian has been given 120 days to “ruthlessly map the trajectory of wars, domains and technologies.”

The project will produce a public presentation covering its broad findings. It will also include a classified annex for military leadership. Hegseth said the initiative would examine warfare across a wide range of areas, “from under the Earth to beyond the moon.”

Project Meridian will not focus on creating new military strategies or policies. Instead, it will identify “the domains that we must conquer and capabilities we must master.” The project will also support the process of “discovering, developing, and fielding” systems and weapons for future generations of US troops.

Musk and Luckey already have experience working on defence technology. Musk’s SpaceX is a major Pentagon contractor. Luckey’s Anduril Industries develops autonomous weapons and other advanced military systems, Fox News reported.

The initiative forms part of Hegseth’s wider effort to shift the US military towards autonomous warfare and emerging technologies. He also announced the creation of the Autonomous Warfare Command, or AUTOWARCOM. The new four-star combatant command will have “service-like authorities” to expand autonomous and robotic capabilities across the US joint forces.

The department also plans to create dedicated occupational frameworks for personnel working in autonomous warfare. These frameworks are expected to establish career paths for a new generation of “autonomous warfighters.”

Hegseth said, “We should have been thinking about Autonomous Warfare Command ten years ago,” while stressing the need to prepare for technological changes before they affect future US military operations.