Pete Hegseth's got a new vision for the military. It leans on drone swarms, chaplains, and tech leaders like Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey.
The defense secretary's newly unveiled plan to get the US military ready for future wars turns in part on autonomous warfare and big names in tech.
On September 30, 2026, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, outlining six initiatives to shape the future of the US military. Hegseth announced the creation of a four-star autonomous warfare command, Project Agincourt, aimed at accelerating the development and procurement of autonomous systems by collaborating with commercial developers and active-duty forces.
The Pentagon's chief technology officer, Emil Michael, and CEOs Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Palmer Luckey of Anduril, and Newt Gingrich will lead Project Meridian, which seeks to identify potential future battlefields and technologies to master in the coming decades. A third initiative, Fortress America, focuses on enhancing military resilience and self-reliance, ensuring installations can generate their own power and secure supply chains, even in the face of large-scale attacks or global disruptions.
Hegseth also emphasized the importance of religious and patriotic ideals within the military, establishing a new Office of Religious Affairs to support chaplains and religious activities.
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