A meeting is scheduled to take place on March 21 at the Pentagon, where Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, will be briefed on a secret plan of the US military in the event of a war with China, according to reports by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, citing two US officials.
A third source at the New York Times confirmed the briefing, stating that the Pentagon will hold a meeting on China and another source confirmed Musk’s attendance, but declined to provide further details. The Wall Street Journal reported that the entrepreneur will have access to one of the most closely guarded military plans of the Pentagon.
Official statements indicate that the military plan contains secret information, ranging from signs and warnings of a Chinese threat to various options for Chinese targets and timelines for attacks.
US President Donald Trump has denied reports of discussions over military plans, stating on his social media platform, “China will not even be mentioned or discussed.” The White House did not comment on the New York Times’ request.
Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth wrote on his social media platform, “This is not a meeting about ‘strictly secret Chinese military plans.’ This is an informal meeting about innovation, efficiency and intelligent production. It will be great!”
SpaceX has already received “billions of US dollars” from the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to support the development of satellites for countering Chinese threats, the New York Times reported. Most of the satellites were launched with Falcon-9 rockets from bases in Florida and California. At the same time, Musk has “far-reaching financial interests” in China, the newspaper wrote.
As the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has already had access to secret information. Granting him access to information from the Pentagon would be a significant expansion of his authorities. Moreover, Musk “is not part of the military hierarchy” the New York Times reported.