Pentagon Launches Meridian Project, Brings Elon Musk Into Leadership

The Pentagon has announced the launch of a new program called Meridian, aimed at ensuring the United States maintains long-term technological superiority on the battlefields of the future.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced the launch of the project during a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, according to the department’s website.

The program’s main task will be to study future military conflicts – from the depths underground to lunar space.

The project will focus on researching and implementing artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, robotics, directed energy, and biotechnology.

According to the leadership’s vision, Meridian will identify critical gaps in the military’s capabilities and propose concrete solutions for the development and testing of new weapons.

The initiative is officially overseen by Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael.

Billionaire Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, and former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich will serve as co-leads of the project.

A team of experts from the private sector, academia, politics, and the defense industry will also be involved in the joint leadership and coordination of the program.

Work on Meridian is expected to last 120 days and conclude with the submission of a final report at the end of January 2027.

The study will result in a public report containing key recommendations, accompanied by a classified annex for military leadership.

The U.S. Army has announced the winners of the xTechHumanoid competition, which focused on the development of humanoid robots and technologies for their military applications.

Ten companies reached the final round, nine of which demonstrated their technologies at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 9–10.