# Watchdogs Sue DoD Over Project Meridian

Three watchdog organizations have sued the Department of Defense over Project Meridian, alleging that its advisory panel was established and is operating without Federal Advisory Committee Act safeguards for public access, notice, records retention, and conflicts of interest. They are seeking to halt the panel’s work until it complies. The lawsuit also raises concerns that companies represented on the panel, including SpaceX and Anduril Industries, could receive preferential treatment; these are allegations, not findings. MITRE is identified as managing the project. The signals identify no specific solicitation, contract award, value, or procurement schedule.

- Contractors represented on the panel, and firms pursuing related DoD work, should account for potential changes to the panel’s participation, transparency, and conflict-of-interest procedures as the litigation proceeds.
- Companies should distinguish Project Meridian’s advisory activity and MITRE’s management role from a confirmed contract opportunity: the signals do not identify a solicitation or award to SpaceX or Anduril.
- The challenge may affect how DoD uses advisory committees and outside project-management support, making documented conflict-of-interest controls and transparent procurement practices relevant to firms engaged in the initiative.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** November 05, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

### Vendors
- SpaceX (Company named in allegations of potential preferential treatment)
- Anduril Industries (Company named in allegations of potential preferential treatment)
- MITRE (Project manager)

### Key Quotes
> study the battlefields of the future, identify which weapons and technologies warfighters will need to harness to dominate in these environments and propose actionable solutions to start developing, testing and fielding these capabilities.
> — Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense

> DoD, in collaboration with MITRE, is trying to make this out to be some kind of contractor-like service that they’ve provided in doing a survey or a study, but that’s not how the memo lays out the work of the committee.
> — Scott Amey, General Counsel of the Project On Government Oversight

### Sources
- [
        Pentagon sued over its Project Meridian advisory committee - Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/litigation/2026/11/pentagon-sued-over-its-project-meridian-advisory-committee) - Federal News Network
- [Federal Watchdogs File Project Meridian Lawsuit - Defense Daily](https://www.defensedaily.com/federal-watchdogs-file-project-meridian-lawsuit/pentagon) - Defense Daily