The United States Department of Defence (more popularly identified by its headquarters, The Pentagon, in Washington), is set to brief billionaire Elon Musk on the country’s military plans for a potential war with China, as per a New York Times report.
Expanded Role for Elon Musk? Concerns Over Conflict of Interest
The move means that Elon Musk, who has so far held a largely advisory role in the Donald Trump administration could see his involvement expanding, a Reuters report noted. Elon Musk is chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), that has set out to trim federal spending and undertaken mass layoffs across government roles.
US military plans are usually closely guarded and “top secret”. The reports have raised concern around conflict of interest as the world’s richest person holds multiple business ties with China and The Pentagon through his rocket company SpaceX and EV-maker Tesla.
How Has White House Addressed Concerns?
The White House has previously said Musk will recuse himself if any conflicts of interest arise between his business dealings and his role in cutting federal government spending.
The briefing for the China war plan has about 20 to 30 slides that lay out how the United States would fight such a conflict, the New York Times reported.
The Pentagon confirmed that Musk will be visiting on Friday but did not share further details. “The Defense Department is excited to welcome Elon Musk to the Pentagon on Friday. He was invited by Secretary (Pete) Hegseth and is just visiting,” a Pentagon spokesperson said.
Washington and Beijing have had tense relations for years over differences ranging from access to technology, trade tariffs and cybersecurity to TikTok, Taiwan, Hong Kong, human rights and the origins of COVID-19.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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