Hegseth stands up a new drone office with authority on everything from one-way attack drones to ground robots and boats
· Business Insider
US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mary Torres
- Most of the US military's drone programs will now be overseen by a new office.
- The goal of the office is to accelerate the development of drone technology, Hegseth said.
- There are some notable exceptions, including the US Air Force's CCA program.
Nearly all of the Pentagon's drone programs will now exist under one office, giving its officials major power over the future of uncrewed systems in the US military.
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The consolidation will accelerate the procurement and fielding of drones, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a memo, a major priority of the second Trump administration as it seeks to prepare forces for drone warfare.
Per a memo from earlier this week, the new office, called the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems, will be "the single joint integrator for all unmanned and autonomous system programs" across the US Department of Defense. DRPM-UxS' director hasn't been named yet, but they'll report to Stephen Feinberg, US deputy secretary of defense.
Aside from Feinberg and Hegseth, the office will have control over a wide range of uncrewed systems, including small ones, surface vessels or drone boats, underwater vessels in coordination with DoD's submarine office, ground robots, autonomous and artificial intelligence systems, drone swarming technology, and counter-drone systems. DRPM-UxS will also oversee the drone marketplaces that some DoD offices have recently established.
With its oversight of so many programs, DRPM-UxS can decide what drones move forward, prioritize certain capabilities or contracts over others, and cease work on specific systems.
Only a few programs are exceptions to the DRPM-UxS' authority.US Army photo by Pfc. Jose Nunez
While the organizational shift gives DRPM-UxS major authority over the future of uncrewed systems in the US military, there are some gaps. Major weapons programs that are already following a separate acquisitions process, like the US Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, will remain with the services.
DRPM-UxS will also be in charge of the US' Joint Interagency Task Force 401, a military and federal government effort to counter small drones, as well as Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, DoD's office for mass-producing autonomous drones across the military.
The new office is the latest milestone in the US' broader push to integrate drone technologies across its military forces. It includes what Pentagon officials have called an unprecedented $74 billion budget request for drones and counter-drone systems, as well as massive investments in acquiring, testing, and fielding small, cheap one-way attack drones.
"Adversaries collectively produce millions of unmanned systems each year across all domains," Hegseth said in the memo. "While global military unmanned systems production has skyrocketed over the last three years, the United States has been slow to field these capabilities at scale. Drones and autonomous systems are the most consequential battlefield innovation of this generation."
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