Hegseth says he will meet Musk at Pentagon to discuss ‘efficiencies’

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth will meet Mr Musk at the Pentagon (AP)

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has said he will meet billionaire Elon Musk at the Pentagon to discuss “innovation, efficiencies and smarter production”.

Mr Musk, a top adviser to US President Donald Trump, and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have played an integral role in the American administration’s push to dramatically reduce the size of the government.

Tesla and X entrepreneur Mr Musk has faced a backlash from some legislators and voters over his chainsaw-wielding approach to laying off workers and slashing programmes, although Mr Trump’s supporters have hailed it.

We look forward to welcoming @elonmusk to the Pentagon tomorrow.

But the fake news delivers again — this is NOT a meeting about “top secret China war plans.” It’s an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great! https://t.co/sIhsUjqbG9

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 21, 2025

A senior defence official told reporters on Tuesday that roughly 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs will be cut in the defence department.

In a post on Mr Musk’s X platform, Mr Hegseth emphasised that “this is NOT a meeting about ‘top secret China war plans,'” denying a story published by The New York Times late on Thursday.

Mr Hegseth is also scheduled to deliver remarks with Trump at the White House on Friday morning.