“[On Project Meridian:] Forgive me if I'm skeptical of entrusting the future of American warfare to people with zero military experience who stand to financially benefit from the decisions they're making.
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In His "State of the Force" Speech at Quantico, Pete Hegseth Calls Reporting on the Iran War "Treason, Actually" and Hands the Future of Warfare to Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich — Ruben Gallego Says "We Need the Press to Actually Be a Good Check," and Mark Kelly Asks Why People Who "Stand to Financially Benefit" Should Design It
October 2, 2026
On Sept. 30, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered his annual "State of the Force" address to troops at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Besides announcing a further 20% cut in general and flag officer positions and a new four-star command for autonomous and drone warfare, he used the speech to attack the press over its coverage of the Iran war. "A free press is, of course, important," he said, but "partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops … is fundamentally anti-American. It's sick. It's a national betrayal. It's treason, actually," adding that "our so-called press makes Iranian state media look reasonable." He summed up the department's culture changes as "no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors." Hegseth also announced "Project Meridian," a 120-day study of robotic, AI and drone warfare co-led by Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whom he called "three of our nation's best minds." SpaceX and Anduril both hold or compete for large Pentagon contracts, and Democrats on the Armed Services Committee said the arrangement put conflicted contractors in charge of designing the weapons the department would buy. The officer cuts announced in the same speech are tracked in the Hegseth officer-purge story.
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“[On Project Meridian, as paraphrased and partially quoted by the outlet:] Hegseth is "putting his political alliances ahead of our national security."
“[On CNN's OutFront, on Hegseth calling Iran war coverage treason:] One of the things we saw during the Iraq War was the weaponization of opinions about the war, when those opinions could have helped save a lot of our men and women. So, we need the press to actually be a good check when it comes to what happens to our men and women in the military. … The fact is he is one of the most important reasons why we're losing this war in Iran. … Instead of actually trying to figure out how to win a war or get us out of this war, he's just trying to throw more red meat and create more distractions.
“[State of the Force address at Quantico, on coverage of the Iran war:] Our so-called press makes Iranian state media look reasonable. … A free press is, of course, important. But partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops and the historic mission that they're undertaking is fundamentally anti-American. It's sick. It's a national betrayal. It's treason, actually. … It's your movements and bases that they reveal to the enemy. Ultimately, it's your lives they put directly at risk when they lie about munition stockpiles.
“[State of the Force address at Quantico:] We are no longer the woke department or the weak department. Simple translation of that — no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors. … Project Meridian will be co-led by three of our nation's best minds, Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich.