Pentagon Plans Four-Star Command for AI, Drone Warfare
The new Autonomous Warfare Command will oversee the development and deployment of robotic weapons across the US military, with operations planned to begin by October 2027.
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The Pentagon plans to establish a new four-star military command dedicated to autonomous and robotic warfare, giving drones and artificial intelligence a dedicated command structure across the armed forces.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Autonomous Warfare Command, or AutoWarCom, during his State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Wednesday, September 30.
The command will oversee the development and deployment of autonomous systems, including drones, AI and command-and-control technologies.
Hegseth described it as a “four-star combatant command with service-like authorities built to scale autonomous and robotic capabilities across the joint force.”
“The pace of war is changing faster than the process to support it,” Hegseth said.
The Pentagon aims to establish the command by October 1, 2027, subject to congressional legislation. It will have dedicated personnel, budgets and acquisition powers, alongside new military career pathways for specialists in autonomous warfare.
The initiative, known as Project Agincourt, will initially be led by Owen West, director of the Defense Innovation Unit, and Navy SEAL Senior Chief Max Strasiser, according to the Pentagon’s official announcement.
The move reflects lessons from recent conflicts, particularly Ukraine, where inexpensive drones have become central to reconnaissance and attacks. Hegseth said the military must adapt more quickly to technological changes while balancing sophisticated weapons with cheaper systems that can be deployed at scale.
The Pentagon is also seeking to accelerate procurement by bringing military operators and technology developers together and giving frontline commands greater authority over equipment decisions.
“Today we need both quality and quantity,” Hegseth said.
Creating another combatant command is relatively rare. The US military currently has 11 such commands covering geographic regions and specialized missions, and the most recent addition was US Space Command in 2019.
Unlike existing arrangements in which autonomous capabilities are developed across individual military services, the proposed command would coordinate their development and deployment across the armed forces.
The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of AI-enabled weapons and the extent to which machines should make battlefield decisions. The Pentagon has not said the new command will authorize AI systems to independently decide when to use lethal force.
