Billionaire Elon Musk, U.S. President Donald Trump's close ally, is due to be briefed on Friday by the Pentagon on the U.S. military's plan for any war that might break out with China, the New York Times reported on Thursday,

Planning for a war with China has dominated Pentagon thinking for decades, well before a possible confrontation with Beijing became more conventional wisdom on Capitol Hill. The United States has built its Air Forces, Navy and Space Forces — and even more recently its Marines and Army forces — with a possible fight against China in mind.

Elon Musk will visit the Pentagon on Friday, President Trump and senior administration members confirmed while denying reports that he'll be briefed on a potential war with China. Why it matters: Some lawmakers and ethics experts have raised conflicts of interest concerns about Musk's role as senior adviser to the president while his companies hold substantial government contracts — in particular SpaceX,