Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans Sept. 30 for a new four-star combatant command dedicated to autonomous warfare, to be established by Oct. 1, 2027, according to a Pentagon memo released after his “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.
The Autonomous Warfare Command will have “service-like authorities built to scale autonomous and robotic capabilities across the joint force,” Hegseth said. Its portfolio will include drones, artificial intelligence, and command and control systems. Hegseth said a four-star commander will soon be named to lead it.
As an interim step, the Pentagon will launch “Project Agincourt,” which will draw from existing efforts like the Defense Innovation Unit and the Drone Dominance program. The project will be led for the next year by DIU director Owen West and Navy SEAL Senior Chief Max Strasiser, the first enlisted SEAL to graduate from Navy Test Pilot School. Hegseth described the pair as a “CEO, COO partnership.”
“The pace of war is changing faster than the process to support it,” Hegseth said. The new command is intended to address an acquisition system that cannot keep pace with technological change on the battlefield.
Project Agincourt will test what Hegseth called “warfighting acquisition,” bringing military operators, engineers and private companies into rapid development cycles and moving acquisition decisions and funding closer to combatant commands and frontline units. Realistic training exercises — and, when possible, combat — will be used to test autonomous systems, he said.
Hegseth also announced that the Army, Navy, and Air Force will create new military occupational specialty frameworks to support the shift toward autonomous warfare, creating career paths for a new generation of autonomous warfighters.
In the same address, Hegseth announced several other initiatives:
- A 20 percent reduction in the total number of generals and admirals across the military.
- A new program office, led by a two-star officer, to ensure military installations can generate their own power.
- “Project Meridian,” a group to study the future of warfare led by Palmer Luckey, Elon Musk, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
- The “Next Great American Base,” a new installation to host 15,000-25,000 service members, with governors and adjutant generals from every state invited to the Pentagon to pitch locations.
- Five new corps of cadets at Hillsdale College, Louisiana State University, Liberty University, Mississippi State University, and Tuskegee University.
- A new “Office of Religious Affairs” reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense.
Senate lawmakers had proposed creating such a combatant command during deliberations for the 2027 defense policy bill. The measure cleared the committee, but the bill is still pending, and the House would also have to approve it for the command to be authorized.
Sources: Air & Space Forces Magazine · Army Times