US defense secretary unveils new 'Autonomous Warfare Command'

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the department is creating the "Autonomous Warfare Command," a new four-star combatant command with service-like authorities built to "scale autonomous and robotic capabilities across the joint force."

Hegseth made the announcement in a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The new command is expected to overhaul the way the Pentagon buys, tests and deploys drones and other cutting-edge technologies, according to The Wall Street Journal, which also noted that the Pentagon has sought to triple spending on autonomous warfare, proposing $74 billion for drone and counter-drone technology in its budget request.

Hegseth said that tech billionaire Elon Musk, tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey and Republican politician Newt Gingrich, who served as speaker of the House in the 1990s, will co-lead "Project Meridian," a Pentagon-led effort to "study the future of warfare."

The defense secretary also announced plans to cut the number of US generals and admirals by 20% and build a new base that will host 15,000 to 20,000 US troops, encouraging governors across the nation to "step up to the plate and bring us their best sales pitch."