While most tech billionaires are fixated on conquering space—think Elon Musk’s SpaceX or Sam Altman’s rumored interest in rocket ventures—Palmer Luckey is charting a radically different course. What if the future of warfare isn’t in the stars, but beneath our feet? This is the provocative idea Luckey, founder of Anduril, has been championing, though it’s often met with skepticism. But here’s where it gets intriguing: Luckey believes the subterranean domain—yes, underground—will be the defining theater of 21st-century conflict. And this is the part most people miss: he’s not just theorizing; he’s already built working prototypes, though details remain shrouded in secrecy.
During a recent event, Luckey was asked if space would dominate national defense in the coming decades. His response? ‘I actually believe the subterranean domain will be the defining space. But nobody agrees with me, and every time I talk about it, I sound insane to people.’ He argues that the Earth’s crust offers far more volume than air, sea, or surface land, making it a strategic goldmine. Imagine vehicles navigating underground like submarines in water—Luckey sees this as a game-changer for the latter half of the century.
But is he talking about tunneling through the Earth? Not quite. ‘There’s no reason to go all the way through the Earth,’ he clarifies. Instead, he highlights the advantages of subterraneity: stealth, inaccessibility, and protection. Just as submarines are hard to intercept, underground assets would be nearly impossible to target. ‘It’s quite easy to drop a depth charge on somebody,’ Luckey notes, ‘but very, very hard to go get something five miles under the surface of the Earth.’
Here’s the controversial part: While many dismiss his ideas as far-fetched, Luckey isn’t alone in exploring the underground. DARPA’s 2021 Subterranean Challenge focused on robot navigation below the surface, and Israel has spent years developing tactics to combat tunnel warfare in Gaza. Yet, Luckey’s vision goes beyond defense—he’s also a master of media manipulation, proudly labeling himself a ‘propagandist’ and celebrating Peter Thiel’s takedown of Gawker. His recent spat with The Wall Street Journal over an exposé on Anduril’s drone testing failures further underscores his combative relationship with the press.
So, why did this underground discussion resurface now? It’s likely tied to the rollout of Anduril’s EagleEye headset, a high-profile launch involving figures like Joe Rogan. But the bigger question remains: Is Luckey’s subterranean vision a genius leap ahead or a sci-fi fantasy? And more importantly, should we even be considering underground warfare as the future? Let’s debate this in the comments—do you think Luckey’s onto something, or is he digging himself into a hole?
