US Defense Secretary Announces New Autonomous Operations Command

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on September 30 the establishment of a new four-star joint combatant command, the Autonomous Operations Command, aimed at enhancing the US military's large-scale autonomous and robotic warfare capabilities. The command will oversee drones, artificial intelligence, and command-and-control systems.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the move is intended to "fundamentally reform the Pentagon's approach to procuring, testing, and deploying drones and other cutting-edge technologies." The report also said the Pentagon is seeking to triple spending on autonomous operations and has proposed $74 billion in its budget request for drone and counter-drone technology.

During the same speech, Hegseth also unveiled a new initiative called the Meridian Plan, described as an effort to "study the nature of future warfare." The project will be co-led by Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael, US tech billionaire Elon Musk, tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

According to The Associated Press, Hegseth also confirmed a 20 percent reduction in the number of US general and flag officer positions, a move first reported by US media a day earlier.