U.S. Military Announces Establishment of Autonomous Combat Command

Reference News Network reported on October 3 According to a report by the Wall Street Journal website on September 30, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is establishing an autonomous operations command led by a four-star general, aimed at reforming the Pentagon's procurement, testing, and deployment model for drones and other advanced technologies.

Austin stated during a speech at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on September 30 that the autonomous operations command will be responsible for procuring new drones and robotic equipment, which will represent "the fastest transformation in peacetime in modern military history." The command is scheduled to officially begin operations in October 2027.

In his address to the troops, Austin also announced that he would appoint entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey, as well as former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, to study the future forms of warfare. This research, named the "Meridian Project," will be led by the Pentagon and aims to explore new ideas for how future generations will conduct operations, with findings required to be submitted within 120 days.

Regarding the autonomous operations command, Austin has initially assigned Owen West and Max Stalacizer to participate in its preparation. Owen West previously served as Assistant Secretary of Defense, was a former Marine Corps major, and has worked as a trader at Goldman Sachs; Max Stalacizer is a Navy SEAL test pilot who has built robotic systems in combat environments. The command will ultimately be led by a four-star general, with the selection of the candidate yet to be finalized.

West stated in an interview that the urgent priority is to quickly establish a domestic low-cost unmanned system supply chain, enabling the U.S. to respond as rapidly as Ukraine in the event of war.

According to informed sources, the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff opposed the establishment of a drone operations command earlier this year, arguing that it would create confusion in the division of responsibilities; however, some theater commanders have expressed support for the reform.

Austin said that President Trump supports this initiative. However, he also acknowledged that this initiative is likely to encounter resistance within the Department of Defense; for a long time, the Department has delegated the authority for testing and procuring weapons to the Army, Navy, and other branches.

Reports indicate that the Pentagon has been seeking to triple its autonomous operations spending and has proposed allocating $74 billion for drone and counter-drone technology in its record-high budget request.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post website on September 29, the U.S. Navy has established a dedicated command aimed at integrating the growing number of aerial, surface, and underwater unmanned platforms into a unified operational force.

On September 24, the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Operations Development Center was officially established in Virginia. This center will be responsible for developing operational directives and tactics for autonomous combat systems, conducting operational training for Navy personnel, and testing whether unmanned equipment can operate continuously in environments similar to real combat.

Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, stated in his speech at the center's establishment that the Navy has been developing and testing various robotic systems for years, but much of the work has been conducted independently across different operational domains.

He said, "The next step is system integration." He also noted that merely verifying whether individual systems can operate is far from sufficient, "a prototype does not equate to combat capability."

Reports indicate that there is a gap between the successful testing of prototype systems and the creation of a combat force capable of scaling the use of these systems, a problem also reflected in the Navy's project management approach.

According to reports, the new center aims to address this challenge from an operational perspective: how different autonomous combat systems should be unified in command, cooperate in operations, and how they can work alongside traditional surface ships, submarines, and military aircraft.

Michael Bosack, director of the Policy Research Institute, believes that the significance of the center lies in "centralization and institutionalization," building a core hub to coordinate various projects and continuously invest resources for long-term tasks.

Retired Rear Admiral Peter Jones of the Royal Australian Navy and adjunct professor at the University of New South Wales Canberra's Navy Research Group pointed out that integrating all autonomous combat systems under unified management would facilitate technology and experience sharing, streamline the supply chain for components, and allow the Navy to have a dedicated officer responsible for promoting the research and implementation of unmanned equipment.

Bosack stated that despite the potential advantages mentioned above, the center still faces multiple real-world obstacles, including radio frequency management, personnel and new equipment adaptation, and integrating unmanned combat capabilities into operational planning, decision-making, and execution processes. (Translated by Xu Yanhong)