A lawsuit filed earlier this month by three government watchdog groups alleges that the War Department created its Project Meridian task force in violation of federal law. The panel was assembled to examine the future of warfare, and the challenge centers on how it was formed and operates.

According to the complaint, Project Meridian fails to meet requirements imposed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, or FACA. Those requirements include a defined structure and purpose, transparency, opportunities for public input, and balanced membership.

The lawsuit claims the War Department skipped several procedures required under FACA. The department allegedly did not publish a notice in the Federal Register, a step that would allow members of the public to review materials and submit comments.

The complaint also says the department did not consult the General Services Administration, or GSA, to determine whether the panel's research would serve the public interest. The watchdog groups argue those omissions leave Project Meridian outside the boundaries established by federal law.

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Donald K. Sherman, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, said FACA “sets clear requirements about transparency and avoiding conflicts of interest.” CREW is one of the three plaintiffs challenging the task force.

Sherman argued that the War Department must comply with those requirements or disband Project Meridian. Before filing the lawsuit, the plaintiffs say they offered to provide their own experts to the project but received no response.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Project Meridian in September and named Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and conservative politician Newt Gingrich as its directors. Musk and Luckey own defense companies, while 19 additional participants were appointed to the panel.

Most of those participants have financial ties to the defense industry or are political allies of the administration, according to the source material. The complaint challenges whether that membership provides the balance required for a federal advisory body.

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According to the lawsuit, Musk's SpaceX holds approximately $8 billion in defense contracts, while Luckey's Anduril Industries holds approximately $25 billion. Those financial relationships are central to the plaintiffs' allegations concerning potential conflicts of interest.

Other participants include executives from software and AI company Oracle, autonomous shipbuilder Saronic Technologies, manufacturer Hadrian Automation, and humanoid robotics company Agility Robotics. The panel also includes investors in other defense companies.

The complaint challenges the qualifications of participants who do not have direct financial interests in the project, arguing that they “do not provide fair balance.” It says their experience is largely limited to working with companies already represented on the panel or advancing the Trump administration's political agenda.

“Given Project Meridian’s purpose to ‘map the trajectory of future warfare,’ the views of its members do not approach fair balance,” the lawsuit says. It adds that the panel “has no meaningful representation from any person or entity with a record of advocating for restraint in the proliferation and use of military assets.”

Sherman said federal law prohibits the War Department from “getting advice in secret, by defense contractors with enormous potential conflicts of interest.” He also said the department is “soliciting private counsel from contractors about military capacity, including the president’s largest political benefactor.”

Public Citizen and the Project on Government Oversight, or POGO, are the other plaintiffs in the case. Their leaders argued that the panel would “very predictably” recommend increased government spending on “AI-enabled weaponry.”

Those leaders further contended that Project Meridian would “further skew national security policy toward corporate priorities, and away from the public interest.” Their argument echoes the lawsuit's broader claim that the task force lacks meaningful representation from voices favoring restraint.

Hegseth gave Project Meridian until Jan. 28 to deliver a report spanning 30 pages on its findings. The War Department also commissioned the research nonprofit Mitre Corporation to assist with coordinating the project as the legal challenge targets its structure, membership, and procedures.

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