# Project Meridian **Entity class:** United States defense program **Domain:** Defense / Future warfare **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Project Meridian is a 120-day United States defense study announced in September 2026 to examine future warfare domains and capability priorities. ## Mechanism and significance The project is associated with Emil Michael, Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich and is framed as a study rather than an operational weapons command. ## Relationships - **Research dossier:** [[research/ASI and RSI Timeline Research Moonshots|ASI and RSI Timeline Research Moonshots]] - **Ontology route:** [[ASI and RSI Timeline Ontology#Autonomous Warfare and Strategic Systems|Autonomous Warfare and Strategic Systems]] - **Primary fields:** [[Autonomous Weapons]] · [[AI Superpower]] · [[Machine Succession]] - **Adjacent concepts:** [[Palmer Luckey]] · [[Pete Hegseth]] ## Sources and provenance - [[research/ASI and RSI Timeline Research Moonshots|ASI and RSI Timeline Research Moonshots]] — immediate source for this node's role in the broadcast research map. ## Evidence boundary The research dossier establishes why this entity or concept belongs in the Moonshots ontology. Time-sensitive organizational, product, policy, and performance claims should be checked against the linked primary source or a current authoritative source before reuse as settled fact. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > A procurement institution built around twenty-year weapons programs cannot absorb technology moving on ninety-day cycles. The challenge is not identifying the future; it is bringing capability to the front at the speed it develops. You cannot fight exponential technology with linear procurement. > **— Adapted from Salim Ismail**, *MOONSHOTS Live, October 2026* [[reminders/AI Superpower/Linear Procurement Cannot Fight Exponential Technology by Salim Ismail|Linear Procurement Cannot Fight Exponential Technology by Salim Ismail]]