The Pentagon is moving to stand up a new combat command centered on drones and autonomous systems, a step that will convert the military's experimentation with the technologies these systems rely on into a permanent institutional structure.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the creation of the Autonomous Warfare Command, or AutoWarCom, on September 30 in Quantico, Virginia, claiming that warfare is transforming faster than the systems designed to support it.

A Combatant Command Built for Unmanned War

According to Reuters, AutoWarCom would be led by a four-star officer and would oversee the use of autonomous and robotic technologies across all the armed services. Once established, it will be designated the Pentagon's 12th combatant command, joining the 11 already in place roster that includes US Space Command, created in 2019.

A memorandum from the Department of War on Project Agincourt sets the establishment start date as October 1, 2027, and entrusts the unmanned-systems portfolio manager with making the necessary preparations for the command while collaborating with Congress to develop the relevant legislation.

The first page of the memorandum designates Owen West and Max Strasiser as CEO and COO, respectively. It also states that "procrastination puts American lives at risk."

Why This Is Bigger Than a Drone Story

The opportunity is not limited to drones. AutoWarCom could also boost demand for the technologies that make autonomous warfare possible—targeting software, sensors, computer vision, command-and-control systems, cloud and edge computing, cybersecurity, and autonomous platforms.

That demand is feeding into a rapidly growing military AI market. Fortune Business Insights values the market at $22.41 billion in 2026 and expects it to reach $101.02 billion by 2034, with Asia-Pacific posting the fastest growth.

The Pentagon is already expanding its partnerships with companies developing AI technologies. A May 1 announcement indicated that SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services will all take part in classified-network deployments. Oracle was added later that day, bringing the total to eight firms.

The expansion comes as the use of AI inside the Pentagon also rises. GenAI.mil, the department's own internal generative AI platform, has acquired more than 1.3 million users in just five months.

The Economics Driving the Shift

The strategy points to a fundamental change in battlefield economics. RAND argued in January that inexpensive and capable AI-powered uncrewed systems could deliver the advantage of "affordable mass" in some operations, outweighing smaller quantities of pricey platforms.

Ukraine offers a real-world illustration of the shift. According to estimates from Reuters, drones are reportedly responsible for about 70% of Russia's casualties.

Hegseth summed up the procurement challenge in a single sentence: "Today we need both quality and quantity."

Governance Lags the Capability

The technology is advancing faster than the rules that surround it. CIGI has described Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran as laboratories for machine-assisted warfare that is, for now, "governed by no one." Carnegie scholar Steve Feldstein warned Congress in September of a "norms vacuum" as military AI spreads.

Those concerns are also shaping disputes between the Pentagon and AI companies. Cryptopolitan has reported that Anthropic remains under a Pentagon supply-chain-risk designation amid litigation over limits on autonomous weapons and mass surveillance.

What to Watch Next

AutoWarCom is not yet formally established. Project Agincourt requires a plan of action and milestones within 30 days and calls for congressional cooperation toward the October 2027 target. How lawmakers ultimately authorize and fund the command will determine how quickly the Pentagon can turn the plan into an operating force.