The program will leverage advancements in materials, manufacturing, and next-generation structural and mechanical design technologies to dramatically reduce the size, cost, and development time of deep-ocean systems.
"Adversary capabilities are advancing rapidly, and our acquisition strategies must move even faster to counter the growing speed and maneuverability of modern missile threats," Space Force Col. Bryon McClain said in a statement.
Gen. Dan Caine stated that autonomous weapons are going to be a 'key and essential part of everything we do' in future warfare, indicating a significant shift in military strategy.
David Petraeus stated that the proposed funding represents the largest single commitment to autonomous warfare in history, emphasizing the scale of the Pentagon's shift towards AI-powered military operations.
All you would need is a ship under a foreign flag positioned offshore to launch hundreds of drones, or even a truck carrying them. When I served as deputy administrator at the National Nuclear Security Administration, overseeing nuclear programs, the drone threat was something we were deeply concerned about.
Facing an existential crisis, the Ukrainians had to develop a way to counter hostile forces cheaply yet with mass. That meant figuring out how to turn inexpensive drones into weaponry, a step that quickly and fundamentally changed how the war was being fought. Now, drones carry out 80% of all battlefield hits and are responsible for most combat casualties.
The first hours of the operation included precision munitions launched from air, land, and sea. Additionally, CENTCOM's Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat.
The Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, is a one-way attack drone that looks nearly identical to the Iranian-designed Shahed. Russia has used Shaheds extensively against Ukraine and now fields its own domestically produced variant.
