US Secretary of War Hegseth: Musk should help research the “future of warfare”.

dpa The tech billionaire Elon Musk is supposed to help shape American warfare of the future - and this also involves autonomous weapons. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a research project that will be led by Musk and drone entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, among others. The Pentagon chief expects results within 120 days.

The prospect of independently operating weapon systems with artificial intelligence recently came to public attention due to a dispute between the Pentagon and the AI ​​company Anthropic. Anthropic refused to allow the Defense Department to use its technology in autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of Americans. The Pentagon, on the other hand, insists on the right to any legal use of AI. Hegseth had Anthropic declared a supply chain risk because of the dispute.

Musk, known for his right-wing political views, also has AI developed at his space company SpaceX. However, the software called Grok is so far behind Anthropic and the ChatGPT developer OpenAI in terms of capabilities.

At the same time, Musk is currently ramping up production of humanoid robots at the car manufacturer Tesla, which he leads. He keeps proclaiming that the robots called Optimus will be the greatest product of all time. According to a report by the website “The Information,” Tesla recently built several hundred robots per week. By the end of the year, the aim is to produce more than 1,000 robots per week. At the same time, there are currently problems with the construction of the complex mechanical hands, it said, citing informed people. AI-powered robot soldiers have been a feared vision for the future of warfare for years.

Hegseth said the purpose of the project co-led by Musk was to "look to the future with a creative eye and identify areas we need to conquer and the skills we need to master," Hegseth said.

Hegseth also addressed the topic of autonomous warfare, i.e. the use of weapon systems and artificial intelligence that can be active and carry out attacks without direct human intervention. “We must act proactively to ensure technological and military superiority on the battlefield for decades to come,” he continued.

The minister also announced the creation of a new four-star command to expand autonomous and robotic capabilities in the US military.

Hegseth defended the controversial reorganization of the Ministry of Defense - and announced further changes. He confirmed to military officials in Quantico, Virginia, that the Pentagon wants to eliminate a fifth of all positions designated for admirals and generals. US media had already reported this in advance.

In his State of the Armed Forces speech, Hegseth also mentioned an initiative to ensure that every major military installation in the United States would generate its own electricity. The goal: to remain able to act even if the civilian power grid is paralyzed by cyber attacks or sabotage.

The Pentagon chief also announced that Trump wants to build a new military base in his own country. He called on state governors to apply. “If your state wants the honor of hosting 15,000 to 25,000 of America's great service members, show us why and how you want to make it happen,” he said.

Last year, the Pentagon significantly reduced the number of active four-star generals and admirals. In recent months, top executives in the Pentagon have repeatedly been fired or forced to retreat. The reasons for this often remained nebulous.

Since taking office in January 2025, the 46-year-old has also pushed forward the exclusion of trans people from the military and the dismantling of diversity and equality programs.

He now emphasized to the military in Virginia: "The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in." He repeatedly devalued groups of people – such as trans people. Hegseth was satisfied that there were now only “warriors” in his own ranks.

The much-touted new focus on a “warrior ethos” has also been reflected in the name of the Defense Department for about a year now: the government of US President Donald Trump has referred to it as the “War Department” since last fall.