US Army to stand up command for unmanned and autonomous warfare

The US Army has directed the establishment of Futures and Autonomous Systems Command under an October 1, 2026, memorandum that also creates a Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Autonomy. The acquisition office will prioritise autonomous fires, combat vehicles, watercraft resupply, breaching, reconnaissance and crewed-uncrewed teaming, with fielding directed no later than fiscal 2028. The Army subsequently selected Futures and Concepts Command for redesignation as FASCOM, led by a three-star general and consolidating five research, experimentation and analysis organisations. The initiative also requires force-structure changes across aviation, armour, fires, sustainment, engineering and training, alongside broader assignment of drone and robotics specialists.