US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the creation of a new four-star command for autonomous and robotic combat systems. He also confirmed plans to cut 20% of general and admiral positions in the armed forces.
Hegseth made the announcements at the Marine Corps base “Quantico“ in Virginia during a keynote speech called the “State of the Forces Address“. This is the second consecutive year in which the secretary has delivered such an address. According to the Associated Press, he has outlined several changes to the structure and priorities of the US military.
New Autonomous Weapons Command
The new structure will be called the Autonomous Warfare Command and will lead the development and deployment of autonomous and robotic capabilities across all branches of the armed forces. It will include drones, artificial intelligence systems and command and control tools.
“The pace of change in warfare is changing faster than we can keep up,“ Hegseth said. He described the creation of the command as “the most rapid peacetime change in modern military history“.
The minister pointed to Ukraine as an example of the rapid development of unmanned technologies and said: “The Ukrainian lesson is not that one type of drone wins wars, but rather that you need to purposefully build a system that allows you to adapt to changes as quickly as possible.“
According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the Pentagon plans to build the command within a year. It has not yet been announced who will be its commander.
20% reduction in general positions
Hegseth said he had ordered a previous 10% reduction in nearly 800 general and admiral positions to be doubled. The process must be completed by January 1, 2027.
“I call this accountability and long overdue action“, the secretary said. According to the Associated Press, the cuts affect positions and do not automatically dismiss all officers who hold them.
The decision has already drawn criticism in Congress. Democrat Mark Kelly said that Hegsett is “purging an entire generation of great military leaders“ and that it will take a generation to rebuild the senior command. Republican Mike Rounds demanded to know the reasons for the change.
Future War Project
Hegsett also announced a project to study future combat technologies. The CEO of “SpaceX“ will be at the helm Elon Musk, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril Industries.
The team's task will be to study what weapons and systems the US armed forces will need in the future. The Pentagon also plans to build a new base to accommodate between 15,000 and 25,000 troops, as well as create an Office of Religious Affairs.
Sources: BTA, Air & Space Forces Magazine