Elon Musk Warns of US Military Deficiencies
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has sounded the alarm about the US military’s outdated and inefficient defense programs. As a special advisor to the US government, Musk has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in its efforts to reform the US defense sector.
Musk has been a vocal critic of the US military’s inefficiencies and has warned that the country will lose the next war if it fails to dramatically overhaul its defense programs. He believes that the current strategy of producing a limited number of weapons at a high cost is not suitable for modern warfare.
The DOGE has already taken steps to optimize government operations, including in the defense sector. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, a major defense contractor, has called for the Pentagon’s procurement system to be reformed, citing it as too slow and bureaucratic to respond to threats from countries like China and Iran.
L3Harris Technologies, another major defense contractor, has also submitted recommendations to the DOGE for improving the procurement of defense goods, including the elimination of redundant standards in accounting and the establishment of a central contract office within the Defense Department.
Musk has been critical of specific defense programs, including the F-35 fighter jet, which he has dubbed a “sh*t design.” He has advocated for a shift towards unmanned systems, which he believes will be more effective and cost-efficient in modern warfare.
In a recent speech at the United States Military Academy, Musk highlighted the transformative impact of drones and artificial intelligence on modern warfare, using the Ukraine conflict as an example. He warned that the next war will likely be a drone war and urged higher investments in drone production and a faster pace of production.
Musk’s warnings come as the DOGE has already canceled government contracts worth approximately $420 million and taken initial steps towards its ambitious goal of reducing federal spending by two billion dollars.