Last week, both The New York Times (NYT) and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO and a top Trump advisor, was slated for a Pentagon briefing on U.S. military plans for a potential war with China.
The NYT (March 20) detailed a Friday, March 21 briefing in “the Tank” with 20-30 slides on China-specific strategies, citing unnamed officials. The WSJ (March 20) confirmed a “top-secret” briefing requested by Musk, tied to his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) role. Both highlighted conflicts of interest due to Tesla’s China ties and SpaceX’s $11.8 billion in U.S. contracts.
Both outlets framed the story as evidence of Musk’s growing influence under Trump, who has leaned on him heavily since Musk spent over $250 million on his 2024 campaign. His DOGE role, aimed at slashing federal spending, has already stirred controversy, and this incident amplified concerns about a civilian contractor accessing some of the military’s “most closely guarded secrets.” Experts quoted in the reports, like Todd Harrison from the American Enterprise Institute in Newsweek, called it a potential “contract protest” issue, given SpaceX’s defense ties.
On Saturday, the NYT reported the briefing was scuttled or reframed after the media exposure. Trump acknowledged Musk’s China ties as a reason he shouldn’t see such plans, a rare nod to conflict concerns, saying, “You wouldn’t show it to a businessman.”
The Pentagon visit went ahead, but officials insisted it focused on innovation, not war strategy.
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