Hegseth puts the future of warfare in the hands of major MAGA donors
Installing tech billionaires Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to Pentagon defense board raises conflict-of-interest concerns
By installing the tech billionaires Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to advisory roles in a Pentagon project about the future of warfare, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, bestowed extraordinary influence on two of Maga’s most significant campaign donors – and both men own companies that benefit from federal defense contracting.
The new project, which Hegseth dubbed “Project Meridian” in an event in Quantico, Virginia, on Wednesday, will be led by Pentagon official Emil Michael, a former Uber executive. As the Guardian has reported, Michael made millions in profits off non-public Musk company AI stock while in federal office – and while guiding the Department of Defense’s artificial intelligence efforts.
Along with Luckey and Musk, Project Meridian will also include the Trump loyalist and former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/01/hegseth-musk-warfare-taskforceOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
12 replies
News at 11
Yeah seriously, I was like “what else is new?” You can pretty much assume across the board that anyone in this administration is allowing “donors” to control whatever it is they’re supposedly put in charge of.
Yes, but the more that is spelled out in news the more people who haven't figured it out might see it. The more it comes of a "this is what every source is saying" instead of "there was one weird article". The more it should come up in every search and "related articles" list.
Truth deserves the repetition.
Sooo, we end up with a military that has the soldiers kitted out like the Russian soldiers were kitted out by the oligarchs that got the military contracts in their country?
Hmmm..
Weird they would put a foreigner on the Pentagon defense board? Also isn't the Pentagon about war now, not defense?
Fall of Rome
Will they accept the donor's money if they are fat and/or have a beard? You bet they will.
What’s with the guy with pubes on his chin? I thought no beardos
Uh oh, enemy position ahead! Buy a one time firing solution!
If only! The US war machine being ground to a halt because of the greed and/or incompetence of fascists would be fucking GREAT!
In stead, it just means that it'll cost the tax payers more and will be even less likely to avoid slaughtering innocent civilians as targeting is left to AI 😮💨
Capitalism is not a stable foundation to build civilization on.
Yet another infuriating yet COMPLETELY unsurprising headline about the Trump kakistocracy 🤬😮💨