The Department of Defense (DOD) is detailing a new acquisition model for autonomous warfare that would connect robotics companies directly with military units and tie future investments to demonstrated battlefield performance.
Under the Trump administration, the DOD was rebranded as the Department of War.
The approach is outlined in an Oct. 19 letter from Owen West and Max Strasiser.
Project Agincourt is an initiative Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth established last month to accelerate the military’s adoption of autonomous and robotic systems.
“Evidence will decide outcomes. Competitions, exercises and combat performance will determine which systems scale, and which are cut,” West and Strasiser wrote. “The power of the purse demands strict stewardship.”
Project Agincourt is expected to culminate in the creation of a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM) by Oct. 1, 2027, according to the letter.
When announcing the initiative, Hegseth introduced a prototyping approach called “warfighting acquisition,” which is designed to bring military operators together with entrepreneurs and move acquisition decisions and funding closer to frontline units.
Under that model, the Pentagon plans to work with the Joint Staff, military services, and operational units to evaluate emerging technologies and identify systems suitable for broader deployment. The Oct. 19 letter does not specify when operational testing will begin.
“The goal is not a particular drone. It is a system built to adapt at scale,” West and Strasiser wrote.
Project Agincourt also calls for giving combatant commanders greater flexibility to select autonomous capabilities based on their operational needs rather than adopting a uniform set of systems across the military.
West and Strasiser pointed to differences between operations in the Pacific and Europe as an example of why commanders may require different combinations of technologies.
“We have set a hard test for ourselves. These new systems will not be declared ready on paper. Combatant commanders must be able to wield them in combat. The new model must strengthen the Services while empowering each theater build its own mix,” they wrote.
The acquisition overhaul will help shape AUTOWARCOM, which Hegseth has said would have “service-like authorities” to accelerate the adoption of autonomous and robotic technologies across the joint force.
The letter emphasized that the new command should eliminate organizational barriers between technology development and military operations without adding administrative complexity.
“We will not replace one bureaucracy with another,” it stated.