US Army to Establish Autonomous Systems Command to Accelerate Equipment Fielding

The U.S. Army is moving to establish a new Autonomous Systems Command and appoint dedicated acquisition officials to accelerate the procurement and fielding of equipment, according to a memo obtained by Axios.

The memo, titled "Army Autonomous Initiatives," was issued by Acting Army Secretary Adam Teller. It calls for autonomous capability development across at least six branches, including aviation, armor, sustainment, and training, and for aligning unit structures with autonomous operations. It also designates an acquisition lead for the autonomous systems portfolio, with priorities this fiscal year including autonomous fires, combat vehicles, water resupply, breaching, surveillance, and target acquisition.

In addition, the memo expands the 15X and 390A military occupational specialties to all applicable Army units. In August 2026, the Army described 15X as the newly established "tactical unmanned aircraft systems specialist" occupation.

The move aligns with longstanding Pentagon advocacy for manned-unmanned teaming, a trend reinforced by the performance of drones on the Eastern European battlefield across ground, air, and maritime domains. On October 1, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced two programs, Meridian and Agincourt, both focused on bringing robotics into future warfare. Teller said the Army is "accelerating transformation to sustain its overmatch" and must be ready to destroy the enemy, ensuring the Army never fights a fair fight.