The Pentagon has announced the creation of a new military command called the Autonomous Warfare Command, or AutoWarCom for short; a command whose goal will be to expand the use of drones, artificial intelligence, and command-and-control systems within the U.S. armed forces. This plan was announced by Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, in the "State of the Forces" speech on September 30 in Quantico, Virginia.
According to ETNA citing TechSpot, the new command is to be led by a four-star officer and, if it receives the necessary approvals from Congress, will be established by October 1, 2027. The command will be added to the existing combatant commands of the U.S. military and will be responsible for the faster development and deployment of autonomous and semi-autonomous systems. However, its exact structure and leadership details have not yet been determined.
Hegseth also called for the creation of new military specialties for the autonomy domain so that military personnel can have a clear career path in automated technologies. He said that the combination of cheap processing power, superior artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing technology has led to the proliferation of precise and low-cost weapons.
One reason for this approach is the high cost of current military equipment. For example, during U.S. operations against Iran, the value of lost Reaper drones was estimated at around one billion dollars. For this reason, projects such as Massed Modular Aircraft seek to build cheaper, modular aircraft so that larger numbers can be used on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, humanoid robots have also made their way into militaries. The U.S. Army selected five winners in the xTechHumanoid competition, one of which is the "Alex" robot with ballistic protection and a combination of artificial intelligence and human control. China is also examining military applications of humanoid robots, including reconnaissance and logistical support.
Despite these advances, reliance on artificial intelligence also carries risks. Recently, an AI-based intelligence report mistakenly linked the cargo of a Chinese ship to a nuclear weapons program and brought U.S. forces to the brink of intercepting it. Human review ultimately identified the error; an example that shows military use of artificial intelligence still requires serious human oversight.