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Pentagon creates autonomous warfare command to accelerate drone, AI adoption

Pentagon creates autonomous warfare command to accelerate drone, AI adoption

New Capabilities

Hegseth calls the four-star command the end state as the Army picks a three-star headquarters and Congress weighs a rival plan

October 14th, 2026: Hegseth calls AutoWarCom the end state at AUSA

Overview

Updated Oct 21

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Autonomous Warfare Command on September 30 and told the Association of the United States Army in October that the four-star command was always the end state. The command would buy and field drones, robots, and artificial intelligence across the military, with a target stand-up date of October 1, 2027.

The Army has picked its Futures and Concepts Command to become the Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, a three-star organization that must field autonomous fires, combat vehicles, and supply watercraft by September 30, 2028. Congress has not authorized AutoWarCom, and the Senate has not taken up its fiscal 2027 defense bill, which contains a committee proposal for a different command. Hegseth also proposed $50 billion for autonomous warfare as part of a $350 billion reconciliation package, including $39.2 billion for procurement and $14.4 billion for counter-drone systems.

Why it matters

The Pentagon wants a four-star command to buy drones and AI faster; Congress and the services still control the money and the programs.

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Key Indicators

11
Existing US combatant commands
AutoWarCom would be the 12th; the last new one, Space Command, arrived in 2019.
2027-10-01
Target stand-up date for AutoWarCom
Hegseth set the goal pending congressional approval; a four-star commander has yet to be named.
2028
Army fielding deadline
FASCOM must field priority autonomous systems by September 30, 2028.
$54.6B
Fiscal 2027 autonomy budget request
Committees had cut $1 billion of the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group request by September.
$50B
Proposed autonomy investment
Hegseth said the $50 billion would be part of a $350 billion reconciliation package, with $39.2 billion for procurement and $14.4 billion for counter-drone systems.
3-star
FASCOM commander rank
The new Army command will be led by a three-star general and formed from Army Futures and Concepts Command.

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People Involved

Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth
US Secretary of Defense
Said at AUSA that AutoWarCom was always the end state and proposed $50 billion for autonomous warfare.
 Owen West
Owen West
Director, Defense Innovation Unit; co-lead of Project Agincourt
On leave from DIU to lead DRPM-UxS; the office's AutoWarCom plan was due October 30 and no public submission has been reported.
MS
Max Strasiser
Navy SEAL Senior Chief; co-lead of Project Agincourt
Managing the operational side of the interim program
SF
Steven Feinberg
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Oversees DRPM-UxS, whose AutoWarCom plan was due October 30; no public submission has been reported.
 Adam R. Telle
Adam R. Telle
Acting Secretary of the Army
Signed the October 1 memo establishing FASCOM
TM
Travis Metz
Acting Director, Defense Innovation Unit
Acting DIU director while Owen West is on leave
 Anthony Gibbs
Anthony Gibbs
Commander, Capability Program Executive Office for Mission Autonomy
Leads Army autonomy acquisition as FASCOM is stood up
 Gen. Christopher LaNeve
Gen. Christopher LaNeve
Vice Chief of Staff of the Army; Acting Chief of Staff
Selected Army Futures and Concepts Command for redesignation as FASCOM

Organizations Involved

United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
Federal agency
Parent agency launching the new command

The Pentagon is restructuring how it buys and fields autonomous systems.
Autonomous Warfare Command (AutoWarCom)
Autonomous Warfare Command (AutoWarCom)
Proposed combatant command
Announced; awaiting congressional authorization; the Senate has not taken up the fiscal 2027 defense bill.

A four-star command to buy and field autonomous systems across the joint force.
Defense Innovation Unit
Defense Innovation Unit
Pentagon field activity
Feeds into Project Agincourt

The Pentagon's bridge to commercial technology companies.
DR
Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS)
DoD oversight office
Operational; its AutoWarCom plan was due October 30, with no public submission reported.

Consolidates oversight of unmanned and autonomous systems across the department.
AF
US Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command (FASCOM)
Army command (in formation)
Ordered October 1, 2026; will be led by a three-star general; commander not named

Army command charged with fielding autonomous and robotic capabilities by fiscal year 2028.
RA
U.S. Robotic and Autonomous Systems Command (RASCOM)
Proposed combatant command (Senate bill)
Proposed in the Senate Armed Services Committee's fiscal 2027 defense bill

A Senate proposal for a command to manage robotic and autonomous systems.

Timeline

June 2026 October 2026

9 events Latest: October 14th, 2026 · 4 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Hegseth calls AutoWarCom the end state at AUSA

    Latest Statement

    At the Association of the United States Army meeting, Hegseth said Project Agincourt was always a path to a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command. He described the command as needing service-like authorities.

  2. Hegseth proposes $50 billion autonomy investment at AUSA

    Funding

    Hegseth said the Pentagon is seeking $50 billion for autonomous warfare as part of a $350 billion reconciliation package. The proposal includes $39.2 billion for procurement and manufacturing and $14.4 billion for counter-drone systems.

  3. Army orders creation of FASCOM autonomy command

    Reorganization

    Acting Secretary Adam Telle signed a memo establishing the Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, charging it with fielding autonomous fires, combat vehicles, watercraft resupply, breaching, and reconnaissance capability by fiscal year 2028. The directive was made public October 2.

  4. Army picks Futures and Concepts Command for FASCOM redesignation

    Reorganization

    General Christopher LaNeve selected U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Command to become FASCOM. The command will be led by a three-star general and consolidate several Army modernization offices.

  5. SOCOM task force absorbs DAWG for Project Agincourt

    Reorganization

    The Defense Autonomous Warfare Group is being absorbed by a new Task Force Autonomous Warfare inside Special Operations Command. The task force is meant to support Project Agincourt and eventually AutoWarCom.

  6. Senate panel proposes RASCOM in fiscal 2027 defense bill

    Legislation

    Section 917 of the Senate Armed Services Committee's fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act would authorize a U.S. Robotic and Autonomous Systems Command with its own budget line and service components. The provision is Senate-only.

  7. Hegseth announces Autonomous Warfare Command

    Announcement

    At Quantico, Hegseth unveils AutoWarCom, a four-star command for drones and AI. He also launches Project Agincourt, an interim effort led by Owen West and Max Strasiser, with a target stand-up date of October 1, 2027.

  8. Owen West moves to DRPM-UxS; Travis Metz acting DIU director

    Personnel

    West, named co-lead of Project Agincourt, took leave from the Defense Innovation Unit to lead the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems. Travis Metz became acting DIU director.

  9. Pentagon consolidates unmanned systems under new office

    Reorganization

    Hegseth creates the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems, reporting to Deputy Secretary Feinberg and absorbing existing drone programs. Accounts place the move roughly three months before the September 30 announcement.

Scenarios

1

AutoWarCom reaches initial capability by October 2027

Likely Resolves by Oct 1, 2027

Discussed by: Pentagon leadership and defense procurement analysts

Hegseth's memo directs the DRPM-UxS office to submit a groundwork plan within 30 days. If Congress funds the command in the fiscal year 2027 budget cycle and Hegseth names a four-star commander, AutoWarCom reaches initial operational capability on schedule.

2

Congress delays or conditions funding; command slips past 2027

Possible Resolves by Oct 1, 2027

Discussed by: Congressional appropriations observers

Lawmakers could tie approval to the 2023 DoD policy requiring human judgment over lethal force, or to industrial-capacity limits. A funding shortfall would push the stand-up date and shrink Project Agincourt's pilot programs.

3

AutoWarCom stands up, but service branches keep control of drone programs

Possible Resolves by Jun 1, 2028

Discussed by: Defense acquisition analysts

The Army, Air Force, and Navy each run unmanned programs that predate AutoWarCom. If the command lacks real procurement authority, it becomes a coordination body rather than a hub. Service budgets would show who controls the money.

4

Army fields priority autonomous systems by fiscal 2028

Possible Resolves by Q3 2028

Discussed by: Army leadership and defense acquisition analysts

The October 1 memo gives FASCOM until September 30, 2028 to field autonomous fires, combat vehicles, watercraft resupply, breaching, and reconnaissance systems, with a to-be-named Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Autonomy holding expedited procurement authority. Whether the two-year deadline holds depends on Congress funding the priority list; the fiscal 2028 budget request, due in early 2027, will be the first sign.

5

Congress authorizes the Senate's RASCOM instead of AutoWarCom

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Senate Armed Services Committee and defense acquisition analysts

The Senate committee's fiscal 2027 defense bill would create a U.S. Robotic and Autonomous Systems Command with its own budget line and service components. If the provision survives conference with the House, Congress would authorize a different command from the one Hegseth proposed, with more limited acquisition authority.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

August 2019

US Space Command (2019)

The Pentagon established US Space Command as the 11th combatant command, consolidating military space operations under one four-star headquarters.

Then

The new command absorbed space responsibilities from the services and stood up its own operational staff.

Now

It became the benchmark for how the Pentagon stands up a new warfighting domain.

Why this matters now

AutoWarCom is the first new combatant command since Space Command, so Space Command's stand-up is the closest recent template for what the DoD is attempting.

October 1415

Battle of Agincourt (1415)

A much smaller English army, mostly longbowmen, defeated a larger French force of armored knights at Agincourt. Massed archers with cheaper, mass-produced longbows cut down the French elite in muddy terrain.

Then

The English victory showed that a cheaper, proliferated weapon used in mass could beat an expensive professional force.

Now

The battle became a standard reference point for arguments about cost asymmetry in warfare.

Why this matters now

Hegseth named his interim program Project Agincourt, signaling the logic he says drives AutoWarCom: cheap drones in mass can defeat costly conventional platforms.

February 2022–present

Ukraine's drone war (2022–present)

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine became the first war fought at scale with mass-produced small drones. Ukraine scaled production rapidly; a Pentagon official said in mid-2026 it builds roughly 500,000 small drones a month.

Then

Cheap drones became decisive for reconnaissance, artillery correction, and strikes, reshaping both sides' tactics.

Now

The war is the empirical case for shifting procurement from expensive platforms toward proliferated drones.

Why this matters now

The production gap between Ukraine's wartime output and US orders is the exact gap AutoWarCom is designed to close.

Sources

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Slashdot Military Times Air & Space Forces Magazine DefenseScoop The War Zone Technology Org The Korea Times The Wall Street Journal Al Arabiya Defense War Room Army Recognition Govly Army Times U.S. Department of War U.S. Army Stars and Stripes Legal500 Breaking Defense Military Embedded Systems Arms Control Association U.S. Army