Elon Musk issued a stark warning to Pentagon officials following reports that he was scheduled to receive a briefing Friday about the U.S. military’s top-secret war plans for China.
Hours before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Musk’s visit on Thursday, The New York Times reported that military officials would show the tech billionaire a slideshow of how the U.S. would engage in a conflict with China.
Musk claimed that the information was “false” and derided the newspaper for allegedly disseminating “propaganda” before issuing a thinly veiled threat to Pentagon officials.
“The New York Times is pure propaganda. Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT,” he tweeted early on Friday morning, sharing a Truth Social Post from President Donald Trump denying the claims.
“They will be found,” Musk added.
A U.S. official told The Times that senior military officials would attend the briefing for Musk at the Pentagon, providing an overview of various topics, including China. The meeting was due to take place in the Tank, a highly secure conference room used for high-level meetings, not Hegseth’s office.
The briefing would consist of 20 to 30 slides outlining the U.S.’s strategy if war broke out with the adversary in the Far East. Sources said Hegseth was informed of the plans on Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Musk had been scheduled to be briefed on the war planning against China. A source close to Musk told The Journal that the Department of Government Efficiency lead would be in the meeting because he requested it.
Sources also confirmed to The Washington Post that China would be discussed, though they did not refer to the war plans. They said the focus would also include Musk’s government slashing efforts with DOGE and unspecified defense issues. One person familiar with the issue told The Post that China would be the main focus of the discussion.
Late Thursday, Trump denounced reports that Musk would be granted any access to the closely guarded operational blueprints as “completely untrue” and that China would not be discussed.
“The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times. They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential ‘war with China,’” he posted on Truth Social.
“How ridiculous?’ China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!”
Hegseth also contested the report, tweeting that the meeting is “about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production.” He also lambasted the so-called “fake news,” adding: “This is NOT a meeting about “top secret China war plans.”
Early on Friday morning, Musk replied to the defense secretary, noting that he had visited the Pentagon multiple times in recent years. Friday’s meeting will be Musk’s first known visit of the year.
Access to this highly classified military plan would significantly expand Musk’s role as a Trump adviser.
The reports fuel questions about conflicts of interest for Musk, who, as the head of Tesla and SpaceX, has business interests in China and with the Pentagon — being granted highly classified information unavailable to his competitors.
However, The Times pointed out that Musk may require access to sensitive military strategies to ensure that proposed budget cuts do not inadvertently affect essential weapons systems vital to the Pentagon's defense plans, particularly concerning potential conflicts involving China.
