‘With Elon and DOGE, we ensure US military remains world’s strongest force’: Hegseth on Musk’s Pentagon visit – The Times of India

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth met with tech big and division of authorities effectivity (DOGE) head Elon Musk on the Pentagon to debate methods to enhance innovation, effectivity, and manufacturing within the military.
After the assembly, Hegseth referred to as Musk a “patriot” and highlighted their shared aim of strengthening the US military.
He later shared on social media, “Wonderful visit with Elon Musk on the Pentagon at the moment. He’s a patriot, and I stay up for persevering with our work collectively. With Elon and Doge, we are making certain our military continues to be the best preventing drive the world has ever identified.”

Musk’s visit to the Pentagon sparked controversy after some US media reviews prompt he would obtain a briefing on potential struggle methods in opposition to China. Nonetheless, these claims had been dismissed by each US President Donald Trump and Hegseth, with Trump calling the reviews “absurd” and “totally unfaithful.”
“China is not going to even be talked about or mentioned,” Trump mentioned, accusing The New York Times of fabricating the story. Musk, for his half, demanded the prosecution of officers he alleged had leaked “maliciously false data” to the media.
The assembly, which lasted simply over an hour, lined varied subjects associated to military development.
Hegseth dismissed the China struggle claims, stating, “That is NOT a gathering about ‘prime secret China struggle plans.’ It’s an off-the-cuff dialogue on innovation, efficiencies, and smarter manufacturing.”
Musk’s enterprise ties to China, together with Tesla’s Shanghai services and SpaceX’s Pentagon contracts, have raised issues in some circles. Trump acknowledged these issues, saying, “You wouldn’t share that with a businessman.” Nonetheless, he additionally clarified that Musk was there for Doge moderately than China.
“He’s there for Doge, not China — and in the event you introduced up China, I feel he’d go away the room,” Trump advised reporters within the Oval Workplace.
Relating to Friday’s assembly, the tech mogul saved his response transient, telling reporters, “It’s all the time an important assembly.” Musk has beforehand visited the Pentagon, along with his final recorded visit in 2016 when he met then-defence secretary Ash Carter.