Elon Musk recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience (#2281) and made a bold claim: he’s confident that aerospace giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing do not possess any classified breakthrough propulsion technology. Musk stated:

“I have the equivalent of an all-access pass from the security clearance standpoint. I don’t think they’re hiding it from me. I don’t think they could.”

His remarks immediately drew skepticism from those with firsthand experience in classified military projects. Former U.S. Air Force officer Robert Salas disagreed, stating:

“I have to disagree. Both Trump and Musk have an over-bloated concept of how much power they have to obtain highly classified material. The people who have these secrets are expert in keeping them under wraps in ways we cannot even imagine. They won’t simply give them up at the snap of Trump’s fingers.”

Salas isn’t alone in his criticism. Former Navy pilot and UFO whistleblower Ryan Graves also weighed in:

“Security clearance alone isn’t enough—access also requires a need to know. Elon may have a high-level clearance, like many others, but that doesn’t mean he’s entitled to every U.S. secret. Without a justified need to know, he wouldn’t have the access to make such a claim.”

Graves pointed out a key misunderstanding in Musk’s statement: holding a Top Secret clearance does not automatically grant unrestricted access to all classified information. Intelligence and military operations are compartmentalized, meaning individuals only gain access to specific projects if their role requires it.

Beyond the issue of clearances, some people question Musk’s motives. Would he really admit to the existence of technology that could make SpaceX obsolete? If such revolutionary propulsion systems did exist within the defense industry, acknowledging them could raise uncomfortable questions about why private space exploration companies, including his own, continue to rely on conventional rocket technology.