Chinese think tank calls for faster, more rigorous assessment of US defense technologies

A Chinese think tank has urged Beijing to adopt elements of a Pentagon initiative designed to identify the technologies that will shape future warfare, while avoiding potential conflicts of interest and weaknesses in the US assessment process. Project Meridian, launched in late September, aims to identify military capability gaps and guide investment in technologies including AI, autonomous systems, directed-energy weapons, robotics and biotechnology. In a recent analysis, the Beijing-based Blue Army Open-Source Intelligence Research Institute praised the initiative’s cross-sector approach and rapid assessment process, but questioned whether its short timetable and involvement of defense industry executives could undermine its conclusions. Project Meridian aims to identify future battlefield needs Project Meridian is intended to help the US Department of War assess how emerging technologies could change military operations and determine where investment is most urgently needed. The initiative is led by Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, and the MITRE Corporation, with Elon Musk, Anduril Industries co-founder Palmer Luckey and former US House speaker Newt Gingrich serving as co-chairs. Its scope includes both established military domains and emerging areas such as space, cyber warfare, autonomous systems and directed energy. According to the Chinese think tank’s assessment, one of the project’s main strengths is its effort to connect operational requirements with technological development, rather than evaluating weapons systems in isolation. The report also highlighted the initiative’s planned 120-day assessment cycle and its use of analysts from different sectors. This approach reflects a broader challenge for the US military, which is that commercial technology often develops faster than traditional defense research, budgeting and procurement processes can accommodate. The think tank argued that China could benefit from adopting a similar model, bringing together military planners, research institutes, defense contractors, universities and civilian technology companies. Such cooperation could help identify capability gaps earlier and improve coordination between research funding and operational needs. Linking technology reviews to military deployment The Chinese analysis recommends an integrated system for assessing defense technologies, combining continuous monitoring of global developments with targeted reviews of specific military capability gaps. Rather than examining individual platforms separately, these assessments should also consider how well different systems work together, including data sharing, communications, interoperability and logistics. The report calls for each technology recommendation to identify the operational problem it is intended to solve, the capability gap involved, the maturity of the technology and the organization responsible for implementing it. Testing conditions and funding requirements should also be specified before a project advances, the report notes. A central recommendation is to establish a complete process connecting assessment to deployment. That would include project approval, prototyping, testing, validation by military units, large-scale deployment and subsequent review. The process should also account for changes to doctrine, training, personnel, organizational structures and logistical support. Despite praising Project Meridian’s approach, the Chinese report also warned that the participation of business leaders with existing defense industry interests could create conflicts of interest. Musk leads SpaceX, which holds major US government contracts, while Luckey co-founded Anduril Industries, a defense tech company developing autonomous systems and other military equipment. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Bojan Stojkovski is a freelance journalist based in Skopje, North Macedonia, covering foreign policy and technology for more than a decade. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, ZDNet, and Nature.