U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans on September 30 for an Autonomous Warfare Command to lead the military’s work on autonomous and robotic systems. A four-star officer would head it.
Two days later, the Army announced its own Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, along with plans to put more drone specialists and robotics technicians in its units.
The broader Pentagon command is targeted for October 1, 2027. The Project Agincourt memorandum directs officials to seek the legislation needed to establish it. The command would have its own budget and purchasing powers, with dedicated career paths for officers and enlisted personnel working with autonomous systems.
The individual armed services would supply forces for the command to coordinate in support of regional commanders. It would be the military’s 12th combatant command; the last addition was U.S. Space Command in 2019.
The Pentagon’s memo argues that cheap precision weapons increasingly threaten expensive equipment already in service. It calls for testing new equipment in demanding exercises, improving it quickly and putting successful designs into use. Officials have 30 days from the memo’s September 30 date to submit an implementation plan.