Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hosted industrialist and presidential advisor Elon Musk at the Pentagon today.
Department officials said the meeting was not related to his efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency but was rather the result of a personal invitation by Hegseth for Musk to visit the department's headquarters.
During a private meeting in the secretary's office, which lasted about an hour, defense officials said the two men discussed innovation, efficiency and smarter production, as they might apply to the Defense Department.
In a message to the force days after taking office, Hegseth said rebuilding the U.S. military would rely on all three things he discussed with Musk.
"We will rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities," he said. "This means reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit and rapidly fielding emerging technologies. We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world."
Musk is best known for his companies, which span a range of industries, from electric vehicles and social media to technology and space exploration. The latter of which was recently involved in bringing back NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams – both retired U.S. Navy captains – from the International Space Station. The two astronauts had been aboard the ISS since June 2024.
The last time Musk visited the Pentagon was in 2016, when he met with then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter.