Secretary Hegseth Taps War Panel

What happened

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Project Meridian, a Pentagon effort to study future warfare and identify technologies and weapons U.S. forces will need. He said Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich will co-lead the work under Defense Department technology chief Emil Michael. Hegseth also announced Autonomous Warfare Command, meant to speed military use of robotic systems and stand up in October 2027. He framed the moves as an overhaul for lethality, readiness and drone- and AI-heavy wars. Hegseth argued the Pentagon needs outside technologists and business leaders to forecast future conflict. A memo says Project Meridian will propose systems to develop, test and field. Its recommendations are due to Hegseth in late January 2027.

How each side covered it

From the left

Left-leaning coverage treated the rollout less as a tech pivot than as a credibility problem for Hegseth’s advisers. The Daily Beast lingered on Gingrich’s age, calling the 83-year-old a “curious choice” for the military’s future. It also contrasted Gingrich’s Vietnam avoidance with his later hawkish image. Raw Story leaned into ridicule over the “brightest minds” pitch.

From the right

Right-leaning coverage treated the announcement as a race to modernize warfare, not mainly as a personnel controversy. The New York Post stressed fast scaling of autonomous systems across the force. It also cast the project as a bid to bring outside tech and futurist thinking into Pentagon planning. The Daily Mail instead foregrounded Hegseth’s combative attack on the press and perceived wokeness.

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Secretary Hegseth Taps War Panel

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What happened

How each side covered it

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