U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on September 30, 2026 at Marine Corps Base Quantico the launch of Project Meridian, a 120-day study tasked with mapping future warfare domains and identifying capability gaps in the U.S. military. The study will be co-led by Elon Musk (SpaceX), Palmer Luckey (Anduril) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The Pentagon also announced the creation of the Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM), a new four-star combatant command expected by October 1, 2027, aimed at accelerating the integration of autonomous and robotic systems across U.S. military forces. The choice of leaders from companies holding Pentagon contracts raises potential conflict of interest concerns.
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