Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on September 30 that the Pentagon will create an Autonomous Warfare Command, known as Autowarcom, to oversee artificial intelligence, drones and robotic systems across the military. He made the announcement during a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The command would be a four-star functional combatant command similar to Special Operations Command and Space Command, with what the Pentagon calls service-like authorities. Its job is to integrate forces supplied by the services in support of the regional combatant commands. Reuters, as carried by the Korea Times, noted it would be only the second new command created in recent history, after Space Command in 2019, joining the 11 existing combatant commands.

Hegseth said the pace of war is changing faster than the process to support it, pointing to cheap compute, advanced AI and commercial manufacturing as drivers of low-cost, high-precision strike. The announcement draws on lessons from Ukraine, where drones account for a large share of battlefield casualties.

The Pentagon’s outline, as described by The War Zone, sets out a timeline and several linked efforts:

• The command is targeted for establishment on October 1, 2027, pending approval from Congress.
• Autowarcom would test equipment and force designs against realistic opposition and field what works.
• Project Agincourt would prototype faster acquisition models that pair operators with entrepreneurs.
• Project Meridian, directed by Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael, would identify future warfare domains and required capabilities, with a final report due January 28, 2027.
• Owen West, who leads the Defense Innovation Unit, is named to head a portfolio office for unmanned systems.

No dedicated budget for the command has been announced. Its creation depends on Congress, and details of its authorities, funding and relationship with the services are still to be worked out.

Sources: The Korea Times (Reuters); The War Zone.