Army to establish new autonomy command, acquisition executive

Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle (right) and JIATF-401 commander Brig. Gen. Matt Ross discuss counter drone capabilities with a vendor during Falcon Peak 26.2 in Yuma, Ariz. (Photo by Carley Welch/ Breaking Defense)

WASHINGTON — The Army is standing up a new command and a new acquisition office dedicated to further prioritizing autonomous technolog y, according to a service spokesperson and a memo reviewed by Breaking Defense.

The changes, first reported by Axios , come on the heels of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s newly announced initiatives at the Pentagon to create a new four-star command, called Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM), centered on drones and similar technology as well as a new working group on the future of defense.

According to a Thursday memo reviewed by Breaking Defense and signed by Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle , orders the creation of the Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, or FASCOM.

“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made it clear: We are done with the bureaucratic inertia holding back modernization,” T elle said in a statement provided to Breaking Defense tod ay. “The Army is rapidly advancing to maintain our lethal edge. We are forging the U.S. Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command to get cutting-edge technology into the hands of Soldiers, while prioritizing autonomy in our formations, our acquisitions, and our training to dominate the future of warfare.”

The memo also designates a new Program Acquisition Executive (PAE) for Autonomy. Currently , the service’s autonomy efforts are under Capability Portfolio Executive Mission Autonomy, which falls under PAE Layered Protection and Integration. Also outlined in the memo, titled, “Army Autonomous Initiatives,” is the decision to conduct new “autonomous force development[s]” to create force structure that can align with autonomous capabilities in aviation, armored and sustainment and training formations. The memo also orders the new PAE to “prioritize the acquisition and fielding of” autonomous fires, combat vehicles, watercraft resupply, manned and unmanned platform collaborative teaming and more “no later than” fiscal 2028.

Lastly, the order states that the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs will expand the authorizations of the service’s 15X, which is th e new tactical unmanned aircraft systems specialist unit, and the 390A unit, which is the robotics technician specialist unit, “to all applicable Army units.”

The Army’s push to establish a new command and PAE, coupled with Hegseth’s plans to establish AUTOWARCOM, come as part of a larger effort to scale drone production and push those weapons out to the force. That push has included the Drone Dominance program to buy more aerial weapons, the creation of the Army-led Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) and, as first reported by Breaking Defense, the creation of Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager (DRPM) for autonomy.

代理陆军部长亚当·特勒（右）和第401联合跨部门特遣部队指挥官马特·罗斯准将，在亚利桑那州尤马举行的“猎鹰峰26.2”演习期间，与一家供应商讨论了反无人机能力。（卡莉·韦尔奇/《防务新闻》摄）

华盛顿——据一位陆军发言人和《防务新闻》审阅的一份备忘录显示，陆军正在组建一个新的指挥部和一个新的采购办公室，致力于进一步优先发展自主技术。

据 Axios 报道，这些变化紧随国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在五角大楼宣布的新举措之后，这些举措包括创建一个新的四星级司令部，名为“自主作战司令部”（AUTOWARCOM），该司令部以无人机和类似技术为中心，以及成立一个新的国防未来工作组。

据 Breaking Defense 审阅的一份周四备忘录显示，陆军代理部长亚当·特勒签署了该备忘录，命令成立陆军未来与自主系统司令部（FASCOM）。

“陆军部长皮特·赫格塞斯明确表示：我们已受够了阻碍现代化进程的官僚主义惰性，”特勒在今天提供给《防务新闻》的一份声明中说道。“陆军正在快速推进，以保持我们的致命优势。我们正在组建美国陆军未来与自主系统司令部，将尖端技术交付给士兵，同时优先考虑部队编制、装备采购和训练中的自主性，从而主导未来的战争。”

该备忘录还指定了一位新的自主系统项目采购执行官（PAE）。目前，陆军的自主系统工作由能力组合执行官“任务自主”负责，而“任务自主”又隶属于PAE“分层保护与集成”。这份题为“陆军自主计划”的备忘录还概述了开展新的“自主部队发展”的决定，旨在构建能够与航空、装甲、后勤保障和训练部队的自主能力相匹配的部队结构。备忘录还指示新的PAE“优先”采购和部署自主火力、作战车辆、水上补给、有人和无人平台协同作战系统等，最迟不得晚于2028财年。

最后，该命令指出，陆军人力和预备役事务助理部长将扩大陆军 15X（即新的战术无人机系统专家单位）和 390A（即机器人技术专家单位）的授权范围，“至所有适用的陆军单位”。

陆军推动建立新的司令部和PAE（无人机装备工程），加上赫格塞斯计划建立AUTOWARCOM（自动作战司令部），都是扩大无人机生产规模并向部队推广这些武器的更大努力的一部分。这项努力包括旨在采购更多空中武器的“无人机优势”计划、创建由陆军领导的联合跨部门特遣部队401（JIATF-401），以及正如Breaking Defense网站率先报道的那样，创建直接报告项目组合管理机构（DRPM）以负责自主作战。