Owen West
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Pentagon to create Autonomous Warfare Command and launch 120-day study with Musk, Luckey and Gingrich
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the creation of the Autonomous Warfare Command (AutoWarCom), a new Pentagon structure tasked with developing and deploying drones, robotic and other autonomous combat systems, scheduled to begin operations in October 2027. He also launched Project Meridian, a 120-day study of the future of warfare, recruiting SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In parallel, the Pentagon is building a large-scale US production chain for inexpensive unmanned systems and has brought six Ukrainian companies into Gauntlet II trials and joint ventures with American manufacturers.