US to launch Autonomous Warfare Command under Project Agincourt

The US will establish a new Autonomous Warfare Command with its own budget and “acquisition authorities” in an effort to scale the country’s uncrewed capabilities.  

According to the US Department of War, the “4-star functional combatant command” will test, rapidly adapt, and deliver autonomous capabilities to the country’s Joint Force. It is expected to be operational by 1 October 2027. 

The command is being established under the wider Project Agincourt, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on 30 September in his ‘State of the Force’ speech in Quantico, US.   

What else does Project Agincourt entail?  

Hegseth also revealed that Project Agincourt will prototype a new “warfighting acquisition” model for uncrewed and autonomous systems.  

This model is intended to “fuse” innovators and operators in a bid to accelerate capability iteration cycles. Additionally, “decisions and dollars" will be distributed "closer to frontline units”, Hegseth said.  

Project Agincourt builds upon the Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program, a USD1 billion initiative to acquire and iteratively develop small drones from 2025-27. This programme has seen the delivery of “thousands” of robotic systems to the Middle East, the department says.  

The project is named after the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, in which longbows were a decisive element in the English victory over the larger French forces.