On September 30th, local time, U.S. Defense Secretary James Hagel announced during a speech at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, that a 'Self-Operating Command' would be established, aimed at rethinking the way the Pentagon purchases, tests, and deploys drones and other cutting-edge technologies.
"This is a new joint command headquarters of the four-star level military alliance." Hege said, America needs to rely on its existing high-end killing chain and achieve unexpected victory in one strike. At the same time, it needs to rely on massive unmanned aerial vehicles and other autonomous combat systems, to exert continuous pressure on the opponent on the battlefield.
According to Bloomberg, the 'Independent Combat Command' will provide operational support for U.S. military forces.
Montana Republican Senator Shea previously told Bloomberg: “All kinds of autonomous systems and robotic equipment will be under a more centralized organizational structure with higher levels of authority, no longer following the past model where each military branch purchased and experimented with these systems on their own.”
Reports said that before Hagersees' speech began, Shey said during a defense industry conference on Wednesday: "This will become the true focus of the Department of Defense's work."
According to the Wall Street Journal, in order to establish the "Autonomous Operations Command," Haggess chose Irving West and Max Straches as its initial members. West is a former Marine Corps officer who has served as an assistant secretary of defense and a Goldman Sachs trader. Straches is a Navy SEAL pilot who has developed robotic systems in combat situations. The Autonomous Operations Command will eventually be taken over by a four-star general whose identity has not yet been determined.
West stated that his priority is the rapid establishment of a low-cost unmanned system supply chain for American manufacturing.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff opposed the establishment of a "Standalone Operations Command" earlier this year, citing concerns about potential conflicts in the division of powers. However, some operational commanders have expressed support for this change.
Haghes said that U.S. President Trump supports this initiative. However, he also acknowledged that there may be resistance to this measure within the Department of Defense. For a long time, the Department of Defense has delegated the authority to test and procure weapons to various military branches, such as the Army and the Navy.
According to reports, this command center plans to begin operating officially in October 2027.
US Secretary of Defense Hagel's video screenshot
On that day, Hagese also announced a new plan aimed at 'studying the forms of future warfare', exploring new approaches to combat methods for future generations.
This program is called the “Meridian Project”. It will be led by the Pentagon. Entrepreneurs Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, will also participate. The relevant research results must be submitted within 120 days.
Reports say that the Pentagon is seeking to triple its expenditures on autonomous combat capabilities. In its record-breaking budget request, it has proposed allocating $7.4 billion for drone and anti-drone technologies.
In addition, Hagersey also announced the establishment of a new high-level office responsible for strengthening military facilities. According to a memo obtained by The Wall Street Journal, this office named “American Fortresses” will be led by a senior civilian official and a two-star general.
In his speech, Hage Seath stated that this requirement demands that every major military facility in the United States be able to generate electricity on its own, independently of the civilian power grid. The related work will also focus on strengthening America’s supply chain and defense industry infrastructure, as well as fortifying military facilities to withstand complex cyber and drone attacks.
"If the opponent disables the power grid through network attacks, deliberate destruction, or any other means, our base will remain illuminated," said Heckerse. "Our planes will continue flying. Our command center will never be without power."
