Musk returns to Trump's circle through the Future Wars project

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US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced, on Wednesday, the launch of a new project called “Meridian,” which aims to anticipate the nature of upcoming wars and determine the military capabilities that the United States will need during the coming decades, with the participation of prominent names led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich.

Hegseth revealed, during a speech he delivered at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Andoril Industries founder Palmer Luckey, and former US House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich will lead the study, which he calls “Project Meridian,” according to the Axios website.

He also added that the project is based on what he described as the "unique American advantage" of being able to employ the expertise of innovators, technicians and senior leaders to think about new solutions to upcoming security challenges.

He also clarified that the mission does not aim to prepare new policies or bureaucratic reports, but rather focuses on identifying the areas in which the United States should excel and the military capabilities that it must develop and master in the future.

He added that the team's work will focus on discovering, developing and deploying systems and weapons that future American generations may need during their lives.

For his part, Palmer Luckey stressed that the project will not be limited to studying the current conflicts, but will go beyond that to anticipate potential wars during the coming decades.

He also said that the goal is to understand the challenges that may face the United States in the years 2030, 2050, and even 2100, and to work from now on to build the capabilities and technologies to prevent these conflicts or prepare for them in the best possible way.

It is expected that the leaders of the "Meridian" project will hold their first meetings in the coming days, with the final results being submitted to the Ministry of Defense within 120 days.

The Pentagon also intends to publish a public version of the study’s results, along with a confidential report that includes recommendations and classified details related to the future of American military capabilities.

It is noteworthy that this is Musk's first official advisory role within the administration of US President Donald Trump since the public dispute that broke out between them last year, before relations between the two parties returned to their normal course later.

While the head of technology at the Ministry of War, Emile Michael, is scheduled to play a pivotal role in coordinating the project’s work and following up on the implementation of its goals.

In previous statements, Michael had called for the emergence of more American companies capable of replicating the success models achieved by companies such as SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril in the defense technology sector.

SpaceX and Anduril have close relationships with the US Department of Defense through contracts worth billions of dollars.

SpaceX represents one of the main pillars of space launch operations linked to US national security, while Anduril provides a wide range of advanced defense systems, including jamming devices, interception systems, rocket engines, and unmanned combat aircraft.