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The Pentagon announced Wednesday it is consolidating oversight of all military drones and autonomous systems under a newly created office as the Department of War moves to accelerate development and fielding of the technology across the armed forces.
According to a War Department memo, the newly established Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems will report directly to Deputy Secretary of War Stephen Feinberg, and oversee unmanned and autonomous systems across the land, sea and air domains.
The office also will oversee funding, acquisition and policy for unmanned systems programs currently spread across the military services, the Defense Innovation Unit, Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group.
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The Pentagon is consolidating oversight of all military drones and autonomous systems under a newly created office. (Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images, File)
The move is intended to centralize oversight of the Pentagon’s rapidly expanding drone and autonomous systems programs.
“Drones and autonomous systems represent the most consequential battlefield innovation of this generation,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement announcing the reorganization.
“Adversaries collectively produce millions of unmanned systems each year across all domains,” he continued. “While global military production has skyrocketed over the last three years, the United States must move at the speed this moment demands to field these capabilities at scale and secure our tactical and strategic edge.”
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Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs, File)
The announcement follows the Trump administration’s broader push to expand the military’s use of drones and autonomous systems.
In December, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth touted the administration’s “Drone Dominance” initiative, calling it “a billion-dollar program funded by President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.”
“We cannot afford to shoot down cheap drones with $2 million missiles. And we ourselves must be able to field large quantities of capable attack drones,” Hegseth said in a video message.
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon plans to deliver tens of thousands of small drones to U.S. forces in 2026. (Adam Gray/Getty Images, File)
Hegseth said the Pentagon plans to deliver tens of thousands of small drones to U.S. forces in 2026 and hundreds of thousands more by 2027 while reshaping warfighting doctrine to integrate unmanned systems throughout combat units.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has also repeatedly argued that drones will dominate future battlefields.
“Drones are the future of warfare. Manned aircraft are not,” Musk wrote in a post on X last year.
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The department said the new office will consolidate specialized expertise under a single leadership structure to speed the development, procurement and fielding of autonomous capabilities and help preserve the U.S. military’s tactical and strategic advantage over potential adversaries.
‘ Liz Friden contributed to this report.
