The Pentagon will create a new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command, or AutoWarCom, to speed the development, testing and fielding of drones, robotic systems and AI-enabled targeting across the US military. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled the plan during a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, with the command designed to have service-like authorities and a target start date of 1 October 2027.
The new structure is intended to give autonomous and robotic capabilities a more direct path through acquisition and deployment, as the Pentagon looks to move faster than its traditional procurement cycle. It will cover systems ranging from drones to command-and-control tools and is expected to support a high-low mix of advanced platforms and large numbers of lower-cost autonomous systems.
An interim effort called Project Agincourt will prepare the ground for the command over the next year. Former defence official Owen West and Navy SEAL Senior Chief Max Strasiser will lead that work, while the Pentagon still needs congressional approval and further decisions on the command’s final structure and leadership before AutoWarCom becomes operational.