U.S. News: New Command to Oversee Drone Tech --- 'AutoWarCom' will shift how Pentagon buys and deploys new technologies

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is creating a four-star combatant command for autonomous warfare, overhauling the way the Pentagon buys, tests and deploys drones and other cutting-edge technologies.

 

The Autonomous Warfare Command, or "AutoWarCom," will be directed to buy new drones and robotics "in the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history," Hegseth said in a speech at U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. The command is set to be functional in October of 2027.

 

Hegseth also announced in a speech to the troops that entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will study the future of warfare. Called "Project Meridian," the effort would be led by the Pentagon with the goal of uncovering new ideas about how future generations will fight. Their findings would be due in 120 days.

 

To lay the groundwork for the autonomous-warfare command, Hegseth is initially tapping Owen West, a former Marine, assistant defense secretary and Goldman Sachs trader, as well as Max Strasiser, a Navy SEAL test pilot who has built robotic systems in combat. A four-star military officer, yet to be named, would eventually take over.

 

A top priority is to rapidly establish an American-made pipeline of cheap, unmanned systems so that the U.S. can adapt as quickly as Ukraine in the event of a war, West said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

 

"Once we apply sustained budget to changed doctrine, we will outperform the world," said West, who has been leading the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit. "And by snapping in AI, we will be ahead of the world, because we are the leaders in AI."

 

The Joint Staff recommended against a combatant command for drones earlier this year, citing concerns that it would create a misalignment of authorities, though some combatant commanders have signaled support for the change, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

 

President Trump supports the move, Hegseth said, though he acknowledged it is likely to meet resistance in a department that has historically delegated the authority to test and buy weapons to the services, such as the Army and the Navy. The Pentagon has sought to triple spending on autonomous warfare, proposing $74 billion for drone and counterdrone technology in its record budget request.

 

Hegseth has already consolidated many of the Pentagon's drone and autonomous systems under a single office that he established in June. Now, he is directing that office to lay the groundwork for the combatant command by launching "Project Agincourt," which West and Strasiser will lead.

 

Eventually putting a four-star officer in charge of the new command would put it on an even plane with other powerful military organizations, such as Cyber Command and Space Command.

 

To supercharge the testing, purchasing and fielding of unmanned systems, West plans to expand on a series of industry competitions that his organization established over the past year under the military's Drone Dominance Program.

 

For each competition, known as a "gauntlet," dozens of companies are invited to put their commercial drones to the test, flying realistic missions created and piloted by the military. Top-performing companies receive multimillion-dollar orders within weeks of the final results.

 

As the Pentagon races to keep pace with technological developments, it is also looking decades ahead, with Hegseth directing outside experts to study the future of warfare.

 

Unveiling Project Meridian, Hegseth said the Pentagon's chief technology officer, Emil Michael, will work with Musk, Luckey and Gingrich.

 

Separately, Hegseth announced a new office in charge of making sure military installations can generate their own power independent of the civilian energy grid. The office, dubbed "Fortress America," will be headed by a senior civilian and a two-star military officer, according to a memo reviewed by the Journal.” [1]

 

China is selling the parts of unmanned robotic systems, including rare earth magnets to Ukraine, not the United States. How is Mr. Hegseth going to scale these systems? Creating military administration before technology is ready looks strange.

 

1. U.S. News: New Command to Oversee Drone Tech --- 'AutoWarCom' will shift how Pentagon buys and deploys new technologies. Holliday, Shelby; Seligman, Lara.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 01 Oct 2026: A3.