A new Pentagon study focusing on the future of warfare is raising ethical concerns about its authors' potential conflicts of interest.Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced "Project Meridian: The Future of Warfare," a study of automated and AI-powered weaponry.In addition to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the other two leaders of the project are SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey, the co-founder of defense technology firm Anduril.The study is expected to take 120 days."We are witnessing rapid advances in artificial intelligence, autonomy, directed energy, robotics, biotechnology, among other critical high-tech areas.
Combined, these new domains, new ways of fighting, and technological developments will profoundly alter the character of warfare," Hegseth's September 30 announcement said."To maintain global dominance, the United States must anticipate future operational environments and act decisively to develop the tools to dominate in them."The study's announcement came just days before an expected speech by President Trump at an Anduril facility in Baltimore on Tuesday.Anduril Industries builds military drones that are used on land, sea and in the air and other related defense technologies.
The company received its initial funding from tech billionaire and conservative political activist Peter Thiel.SpaceX has secured over $8 billion in U.S.defense contracts in 2026 alone, according to government contract announcements.
One of its flagship products is Starshield, a military-grade, low-Earth-orbit satellite network designed to provide secure communications for the government.The company's AI chatbot, Grok, is also being used by the Pentagon.There is a concern that Musk and Luckey's study would be guided by their own financial interests, said Richard Painter, a professor of corporate law at the University of Minnesota and former chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W.
Bush administration."They all want to sell stuff," Painter said....