Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Sept. 30 plans for a new U.S. military command with “service-like authorities” to accelerate the adoption of autonomous and robotic systems across the joint force.
Hegseth unveiled the proposed Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM) during his “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
“The autonomous and robotic revolution has enormous implications for equipment, doctrine, organization, and the assumptions that have governed warfare for decades,” Hegseth said.
“Ukraine’s lesson is not that one type of drone wins wars,” Hegseth added, “but rather the need for a purpose-built system that maximizes the ability to adapt.”
He said the approach would fuse procurement with operations at scale and allow warfighters, engineers, and entrepreneurs to learn, adapt, and rapidly iterate within their domains and missions.
However, the command is not expected to be created until a year from now.
In a memo released after his speech, Hegseth said he is directing the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS) to lead Project Agincourt, which he described as the pathway to establishing AUTOWARCOM.
Owen West, director of the Defense Innovation Unit, and Max Strasiser will serve as chief executive officer and chief operating officer, respectively, of the DRPM-UxS.
Hegseth said Project Agincourt will follow a new prototyping construct called “warfighting acquisition,” which is intended to bring operators together with entrepreneurs and move “decisions and dollars” closer to frontline units.
Project Meridian
Hegseth also discussed Project Meridian, an effort to study the future of warfare.
“The future of warfare is not about developing new strategies or new policies,” Hegseth said. “We already do that. Rather, its purpose is to creatively look to the future and identify the domains that we must conquer and capabilities we must master.”
He said the project will be co-led by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
A separate memo released after the speech says Project Meridian will draw on perspectives from outside the Pentagon, including technologists, innovators, business leaders, policymakers, and national security experts.
The project’s primary function will be to map the trajectory of future warfare, identify critical capability gaps, and propose solutions in support of goals outlined in the 2026 National Security Science and Technology Strategy.
A report from Project Meridian is due Jan. 28, 2027.