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Hegseth Orders Autonomous Warfare Command by Oct. 1, 2027

By Drooid · Oct 4, 2026, 4:11 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Hegseth Launches Autonomous Command

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command focused on autonomous drones and robotics.
The command is slated to become operational by Oct. 1, 2027.
Owen West and Navy SEAL senior chief Max Strasiser will initially lead the command.
Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and former Speaker Newt Gingrich will co-lead Project Meridian.
Hegseth invited governors to bid for a new off-grid base housing 15,000-25,000 troops.

Summary

SpaceX Secures Contracts

SpaceX holds $8 billion in defense contracts for 2026, covering launch services and the Starshield satellite network.
The Pentagon’s FY2027 budget request allocates $59.7 billion to space capabilities, which could benefit Musk’s companies.
Critics warn Project Meridian creates conflict-of-interest risks because Anduril and SpaceX are major defense suppliers.
A GAO report found the Department of Government Efficiency’s claimed $200 billion savings were unsupported or inaccurate.

History

Historical Context

After the Pentagon launched Project Maven in April 2017, the Department of Defense created the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center in June 2018 to coordinate AI across the Army, Navy and Air Force. The JAIC later merged into the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office in February 2022, which now oversees more than 685 AI projects and drives the JADC2 network-of-networks effort.

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Hegseth Launches Autonomous Command

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command focused on autonomous drones and robotics.
The command is slated to become operational by Oct. 1, 2027.
Owen West and Navy SEAL senior chief Max Strasiser will initially lead the command.
Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and former Speaker Newt Gingrich will co-lead Project Meridian.
Hegseth invited governors to bid for a new off-grid base housing 15,000-25,000 troops.

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