The Pentagon has launched Project Meridian, a 120-day initiative designed to examine how warfare could evolve over the coming decades and identify the technologies and weapons the US military may need to maintain a technological advantage.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth commissioned the project on September 30, directing the Department of War's Chief Technology Officer, Emil Michael, to facilitate the effort. Elon Musk, defense technology entrepreneur Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will co-direct the project, alongside outside experts from academia, industry, policy and national security.

The Pentagon's commissioning memorandum says rapid advances in artificial intelligence, autonomy, directed energy, robotics and biotechnology are expected to change the character of warfare.

Project Meridian will examine future battlefields and identify capability gaps that could affect America's ability to maintain what the department calls 21st-century "overmatch".

Fox News reported that Meridian will look years and even decades ahead, with a mandate covering emerging domains ranging "from under the Earth to beyond the moon".

"The best forecasters of future conflict do not solely reside inside the Pentagon," Hegseth said during his State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, adding that "there are obvious biases and risks to asking ourselves to both ask the questions and answer them".

The project is expected to "ruthlessly map the trajectory of wars, domains and technologies" within 120 days. Its work will culminate in an unclassified public report accompanied by a classified annex.

The Pentagon memorandum sets January 28, 2027, as the deadline for submitting the finalized findings and recommendations.

Rather than developing conventional military strategies, Meridian will focus on identifying the domains and capabilities the United States may need to develop, test and field. The memorandum specifically calls for actionable solutions to address future capability gaps.

Musk and Luckey bring direct experience from the defense technology sector. Musk's SpaceX is a major Pentagon contractor, while Luckey founded Anduril Industries, a defense technology company focused on autonomous weapons and other advanced military systems.

Their involvement also places private-sector technology leaders close to discussions about future military requirements. Fox News noted that this could raise potential conflict-of-interest questions because companies associated with the participants compete for defense business.

Meridian is part of a broader technology-focused military initiative announced by Hegseth. The secretary also announced the creation of Autonomous Warfare Command, or AUTOWARCOM, a four-star combatant command intended to expand autonomous and robotic capabilities across the joint force.

"We should have been thinking about Autonomous Warfare Command ten years ago," Hegseth said, explaining that Meridian is intended to look sufficiently far ahead to anticipate technological changes before the military falls behind.

Project Meridian's stated objective is ultimately to turn long-range assessments of warfare, technology and capability gaps into recommendations that can guide the development and fielding of future military systems.