The Army is establishing a new major command, Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command (FASCOM), and a new acquisition executive dedicated to autonomy, according to a memo signed Oct. 1 by Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle and reviewed by Breaking Defense.
The memo, titled “Army Autonomous Initiatives,” orders the creation of FASCOM and designates a new Program Acquisition Executive (PAE) for Autonomy. Currently, the service’s autonomy efforts fall under Capability Portfolio Executive Mission Autonomy, which reports to PAE Layered Protection and Integration.
“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made it clear: We are done with the bureaucratic inertia holding back modernization,” Telle said in a statement. “The Army is rapidly advancing to maintain our lethal edge. We are forging the U.S. Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command to get cutting-edge technology into the hands of Soldiers, while prioritizing autonomy in our formations, our acquisitions, and our training to dominate the future of warfare.”
The memo also directs new “autonomous force developments” to create force structure aligned with autonomous capabilities in aviation, armored, sustainment, and training formations. It orders the new PAE to prioritize acquisition and fielding of autonomous fires, combat vehicles, watercraft resupply, and manned-unmanned teaming, among other capabilities, no later than fiscal 2028.
Additionally, the order directs the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs to expand authorizations for the 15X tactical unmanned aircraft systems specialist and 390A robotics technician specialist units “to all applicable Army units.”
The announcement follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s September initiatives to create a new four-star command, Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM), focused on drones and similar technology, and a working group on the future of defense.
Separately, the Army activated the 390A Robotics Technician military occupational specialty on Oct. 1, 2026, at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C., with 10 inaugural warrant officers inducted Oct. 2, 2026, after completing a 19-week course. Maj. Gen. Slider, the school’s commanding general, said the 390A provides “warrant officers who can turn robotics and autonomy into real combat capability.”
Sources: DVIDS News · Breaking Defense