Pentagon creates Autonomous Warfare Command to oversee AI and drone capabilities

The Pentagon is getting a new command, and its focus is machines that fight on their own.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Autonomous Warfare Command, shortened to Autowarcom, on September 30, 2026. He made the announcement during a “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The new command will develop and oversee AI and drone capabilities across the US military.

That makes it the first new combatant command since US Space Command arrived in 2019. Autowarcom will become the 12th US combatant command.

What Autowarcom will actually do

Autowarcom is designed as a four-star functional combatant command. It will also hold service-like authorities. Service-like authorities mean the command can innovate, procure, and field autonomous technologies itself. It will not have to wait for the Army, Navy, or Air Force to buy things on its behalf.

The scope covers drones and AI systems used across the military. A four-star officer will lead the command. That officer has not yet been named.

The official stand-up date is projected for October 1, 2027.

Project Agincourt bridges the gap

The Pentagon is not waiting until 2027 to start. An interim structure called Project Agincourt is meant to speed up how the military acquires warfighting technology in the meantime.

Two people lead it. One is Defense Innovation Unit Director Owen West. The other is Navy SEAL Senior Chief Max Strasiser.

Project Agincourt grew out of an earlier office, the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems, known as DRPM-UxS. The new version takes an integrated approach to battle management. It brings together operators, engineers, and entrepreneurs in a single effort.

Earlier efforts also shaped this direction. The Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, or DAWG, reflected the Pentagon’s evolving strategy around low-cost drones. Autowarcom looks like the next, much larger step on that same path.

Why the Pentagon is moving now

Recent conflicts have shown that unmanned systems can be decisive. The war in Ukraine is the clearest example.

Drones are estimated to account for approximately 70% of Russian military casualties in the Ukrainian conflict.

The Pentagon has requested $54.6 billion for FY2027 to support DAWG and related initiatives. Lawmakers will still need to weigh in on that request.