Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, is joining a U.S. Defense Department project studying the Pentagon's vision for future warfare. Because SpaceX works closely with the Pentagon as a defense and space contractor, the appointment has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Industry sources said on the 3rd that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had named Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as co-chairs of the Pentagon's "Meridian Project," which is designing plans for future warfare, on Sept. 30.
Hegseth said the group would analyze what future battlefields will look like and examine which weapons and technologies the United States needs to secure an advantage.
At the center of the controversy are the participants' business interests. SpaceX, which Musk leads, develops and launches military satellites for the U.S. government and military, while Luckey's Anduril supplies the Defense Department with counter-drone systems, interceptor weapons and unmanned combat aircraft.
SpaceX carried out a classified mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office on the 1st using its Falcon Heavy rocket. That is why critics say conflict-of-interest questions could surface, given that the co-chairs are leading companies holding government contracts while taking part in a defense project.
Politico, citing a former Defense Department official, reported that the appointments carry conflict-of-interest problems. Anduril said it would adhere to the highest ethical standards should an actual conflict arise, while Musk and SpaceX did not issue a separate statement.
For Musk, the project also marks a return to U.S. government work. He led the Department of Government Efficiency early in the second Trump administration, driving cuts to the federal workforce and an overhaul of existing contracts and support programs, before leaving the White House in May last year after a clash over the budget.
Hegseth stressed the need for outside expertise, saying that those best able to predict future conflicts are not necessarily found inside the Defense Department. He drew a line, however, saying the Meridian Project is not a body that directly creates new strategy or policy. The panel has already held two meetings, and its final report is due to be released at the end of January next year.
