Musk visits Pentagon after invitation from secretary Hegseth
Musk visits Pentagon after invitation from secretary Hegseth
Elon Musk will visit the Pentagon on Friday after the technology billionaire has received an invitation from Transport Minister Pete Hegseth, as the Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday evening.
Visit to the Pentagon
"The Ministry of Defense is pleased to welcome Elon Musk to the Pentagon on Friday. He was invited by Minister Hegseth and will only be visited," said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement to CNN.
secret military plans
like the New York Thursday reported, Musk is informed about the strictly secret plans of the US military, which could be used in a possible war with China.
reaction from President Trump
President Donald Trump rejected the report of the New York Times in a late contribution to Truth and explained that "China is not even mentioned or discussed."
changes in the Ministry of Defense
The visit takes place at a time when the Pentagon, encouraged by Musk's Ministry of Government Efficiency, about think of comprehensive cuts in higher military structures. This is done as part of the efforts of the Trump administration to reduce the federal government. Hegseth said last month that the Ministry of Defense would use Doge to “uncover fraud, waste and abuse in the greatest discretionary budget of the federal government.”
strategic guidelines
CNN asked both the White House and the Ministry of Government Efficiency to comment. A strategic lead document from Hegseth, which was sent to the Pentagon Director at the beginning of this month, focused on a possible conflict with China, but offered only a few details about how it could look.
classification and security releases
Several versions of US military war plans are often prepared at various classification levels, as informed sources reported. At the highest level, military operating plans contain so-called "code word" releases that affect sensitive sources and methods, such as the use of human and technical resources. It is unclear which version Musk is presented.
secret security releases
CNN reported that Musk has a secret security approval and is a special government employee in the Trump administration. However, even people with sufficient security releases have to prove a “need to know” before you can access certain information, according to the classified handling process of the US government.
contracts with the Ministry of Defense
A report by the Ministry of Justice states that a special government employee is "every person who works or is expected for the government for 130 days or less in a period of 365 days." Musk maintains lucrative contracts with the Ministry of Defense. In October 2024, the US Space Force launch contracts worth 733 million dollar SpaceX.
This story has been updated with additional information. CNNS Zachary Cohen and Kit Maher contributed to this report.
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