Hegseth Gives Musk, Luckey, and Gingrich Key Roles to Shape Future Warfare

During a fiery speech he dubbed the “State of the Forces” address, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a new military task force to be co-managed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey, and former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

None of these individuals have ever served in the U.S. military. Yet, the three will lead an endeavor called “Project Meridian,” which will focus on “discovering, developing, and fielding” weapons and systems for troops to use in the future, Hegseth explained on Wednesday.

Emil Michael, currently the Pentagon’s head of technology and formerly Uber’s Chief Business Officer, will also oversee the project.

The purpose of Project Meridian will be to “identify the domains that we must conquer, and capabilities we must master,” Hegseth said. The group’s work will matter in future battlefields ranging “from under the Earth to beyond the moon,” he added.

The inclusion of Musk and Luckey in the program will undoubtedly raise some eyebrows. The companies that both men oversee regularly seek billion-dollar contracts with the Department of Defense (DOD), making their work on Project Meridian a profound conflict of interest.

Luckey, whose company Anduril focuses on military technologies and advanced autonomous systems, has expressed disturbing views on how the military should be run. He once bragged about being “sick,” describing himself as someone who doesn’t “lose any sleep making tools of violence in order to preserve freedom.” He also called for a “warrior class that is enthused and excited about enacting violence on others,” indicating that he likely has no qualms about the U.S. committing war crimes.

Hegseth expressed numerous bigoted views during his speech. He derided LGBTQ people, advocated for hyper-masculine soldiers, and continued pressing for a military ban on beards — a policy that observers have described as being racist against Black men.

Hegseth also announced the creation of another task force, one that would focus on advancing religious participation among servicemembers.

“Today, at my direction, I’m establishing the Office of Religious Affairs,” the DOD secretary said, describing its work as reporting “straight to the top” of the department.

“The experts — our chaplains — will finally have an advocate at the highest level,” Hegseth added.

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State condemned the creation of such an office, with that organization’s president, Rachel Laser, noting that “for more than 250 years, the military and its chaplains have served the diverse religious and spiritual needs of all our service members.”

“Hegseth’s new plan upends this to the detriment of all who serve,” Laser said, adding:

[The office’s creation is] yet another example of Hegseth abusing the power of his government position to impose his beliefs on others — and worse, it puts the needs of America’s service members second to this administration’s Christian Nationalist agenda. Hegseth has repeatedly used biblical framing to describe the military’s mission, has erased most of the military’s religious designations, has attempted to upend the military chaplaincy, and has instituted coercive Pentagon prayer services that feature almost exclusively conservative Christians.

“All of these actions combined with this latest announcement make clear that Hegseth is advancing a Christian Nationalist agenda in the military,” Laser continued. “Not on our watch. We need a national recommitment to separate church and state — our democracy depends on it and our service members deserve it.”