The Pentagon's new future-of-warfare panel, led in part by Elon Musk and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, now faces a federal lawsuit that could halt its work and force its deliberations into public view. Three government watchdog groups are asking a federal judge to shut down Project Meridian, arguing the Defense Department built it outside the rules that govern advisory committees, according to Federal News Network. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Public Citizen and the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) filed the suit on Monday, Nov. 2, in federal court in the District of Columbia. They name Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Department Technology Chief Emil Michael as defendants and allege violations of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
For companies that sell weapons, software and space systems to the department, the case goes beyond ethics. Project Meridian is meant to tell DoD which technologies it should develop, test and field, with a stated focus on a 10-to-20-year horizon. A panel whose membership includes executives of firms that win large defense contracts is now being challenged on how it was formed and who gets to take part.
How Project Meridian Was Set Up
Hegseth announced the initiative on Sept. 30 in his "State of the Force" address to DoD personnel at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. He said the project would "study the battlefields of the future, identify which weapons and technologies warfighters will need to harness to dominate in these environments and propose actionable solutions to start developing, testing and fielding these capabilities."
NPR reported that the announcement framed the effort in terms of global competition. "To maintain global dominance, the United States must anticipate future operational environments and act decisively to develop the tools to dominate in them," Hegseth's Sept. 30 announcement said.
Michael oversees the project. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Musk and Luckey lead it. DoD commissioned MITRE, the nonprofit that manages federally funded research, to manage the work. The panel first met behind closed doors on the day of the announcement and held a second meeting on Oct. 1, Federal News Network reported.
Other members named in the reporting include Safra Catz, executive vice chair of Oracle's board of directors; Rick Smith, chief executive officer of Axon; and Bob Smith, who sits on the board of Parsons Corporation. Musk's SpaceX has received more than $8 billion in defense contracts in 2026 alone, and Luckey's Anduril has secured approximately $25 billion in defense contracts, according to Federal News Network.
Why the Watchdogs Say the Panel Breaks FACA
FACA requires federal advisory committees to operate in the open: public notice, public access to meetings unless closure is formally justified, record-keeping, and safeguards against undue influence. The plaintiffs say Project Meridian meets none of those conditions.
According to the watchdog groups' claims as reported by Federal News Network, DoD has barred public participation, did not publish notice of the panel's creation in the Federal Register, and gave no written justification for holding closed meetings. The groups also say there is no indication the project is retaining records of its work.
The suit also targets the panel's membership. "Nineteen of the 21 members of Project Meridian work in the private sector. Many of those members have significant financial interests in the findings and recommendations made by the committee," the plaintiffs wrote. They argue that Hegseth's memo creating the project contains no conflict-of-interest provisions, and that DoD has not taken steps "to ensure that the advice and recommendations of Project Meridian will not be inappropriately influenced by the DoD or any special interest, as required by FACA," the lawsuit states.
"The Federal Advisory Committee Act sets clear requirements about transparency and avoiding conflicts of interest, and Project Meridian must either comply or stop operating," Donald K. Sherman, president of CREW, said in a statement.
POGO says it tried to join before it sued. Last week, the group sent a letter to Hegseth and Michael asking for a seat on the panel for a POGO representative and never received a response, Federal News Network reported. Scott Amey, POGO's general counsel, said DoD and MITRE are "trying to make this out to be some kind of contractor-like service that they've provided in doing a survey or a study, but that's not how the memo lays out the work of the committee."
What the Plaintiffs Want the Court to Order
The groups ask the judge to declare the committee's establishment and operation unlawful under FACA and the Administrative Procedure Act. They also want the court to require DoD to preserve and publicly disclose committee records, and to postpone Project Meridian from meeting or conducting business until it complies with FACA.
The allegations have not been tested in court. The Federal News Network report did not include a DoD response to the lawsuit.
The Pentagon's Answer: MITRE Runs the Analysis
Before the suit, a Defense Department spokesperson defended the structure by pointing to MITRE. "MITRE is responsible for the analysis and recommendations, and will evaluate all inputs with technical rigor while applying appropriate conflict-of-interest and information safeguards," the spokesperson said in NPR's October report. The spokesperson said the effort will examine technologies and operational concepts across "a 10-20 year time horizon."
NPR also reported that DoD did not disclose whether Musk and Luckey were brought on as special government employees or as contractors. Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota corporate law professor and former chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, told NPR that the nature of their employment would dictate the rules they must follow. Executive branch employees are bound by a federal criminal law that bars them from taking part in government decisions affecting their own financial interests. Contractors are not subject to that law, NPR reported.
What It Means for Contractors
If the court orders Project Meridian to comply with FACA, the panel would need public notice, written justification for any closed sessions, and preserved records that the public can request. That could give competitors outside the room a window into recommendations that might steer future investment toward areas such as drones or space systems.
Firms whose executives sit on the panel face a different exposure. The complaint centers on the financial interests of members, and the plaintiffs are asking the court to require public disclosure of committee records. Companies bidding in the technology areas the panel studies should track whether its findings are paused, released, or reworked.
Mid-tier and small vendors have a practical stake, too. POGO's unanswered request for a seat underlines the broader complaint: 19 of the 21 members work in the private sector, and the plaintiffs say many have significant financial interests in the panel's findings. Contractors that want their capabilities considered should watch for any FACA-compliant reconstitution of the panel, which would bring public notice and open meetings.
Until a judge rules, Project Meridian's recommendations carry legal uncertainty. Businesses planning around its recommendations should treat them cautiously while the challenge is pending.
