The Department of War plans to establish a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command by Oct. 1, 2027, aiming to accelerate how the U.S. military buys, tests and fields unmanned and autonomous systems across the joint force.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the initiative Sept. 30 at Marine Corps Base Quantico as one of six department-wide initiatives. The proposed functional combatant command would focus on unmanned and autonomous warfare, with dedicated manpower, budget and acquisition authorities, according to Hegseth’s accompanying memorandum.
The initiative’s immediate vehicle is Project Agincourt, led by the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems, or DRPM-UxS. Its name appears to be a direct reference to the Battle of Agincourt, the 1415 English victory over a larger French force during the Hundred Years’ War. In choosing the name, the department appears to be invoking the battle’s enduring military association: an adaptable and comparatively lower-cost force overcoming a more numerous, traditionally organized opponent.
That historical reference closely tracks the memo’s stated rationale. Hegseth wrote that advanced computing is enabling the mass production of precise, low-cost weapons that can threaten costly legacy platforms and disrupt U.S. force projection. The department, he said, needs a repeatable procurement system designed not around a single platform but around the ability to adapt in combat while remaining “on the right side of the cost exchange.”
Project Agincourt will maintain DRPM-UxS’s existing mission while prototyping a new acquisition model for unmanned and autonomous systems. The approach is intended to pair operators with innovators and competitive manufacturers, push funding and decisions closer to operational forces, and scale proven capabilities quickly.
The future Autonomous Warfare Command would define joint requirements and integrate service-provided forces in support of geographic combatant commanders. It would test systems and force designs against realistic opposition and in demanding environments, then rapidly modify and field what works, according to the memo.
Hegseth named Defense Innovation Unit Director Owen West and Navy SEAL Senior Chief Max Strasiser to lead DRPM-UxS in a CEO-COO arrangement. Within 30 days, DRPM-UxS and the Joint Staff are required to submit a plan of action and milestones for Hegseth’s approval. Establishing the command will require organizational changes and congressional legislation ahead of the department’s October 2027 target date.
Read the memo creating the Autonomous Warfare Command here.