US Army to establish FASCOM, a new autonomous systems command

The U.S. Army is standing up a new command for autonomous systems and a dedicated acquisition office for autonomy, according to a memo signed Thursday by acting Army Secretary Adam Telle. The changes were first reported by Axios; Breaking Defense reviewed the memo.

What the memo orders

Titled "Army Autonomous Initiatives," the memo orders the creation of the Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, or FASCOM, and designates a new Program Acquisition Executive (PAE) for Autonomy. The service's autonomy work currently sits under Capability Portfolio Executive Mission Autonomy.

The memo also calls for "autonomous force development" to align force structure with autonomous capabilities across at least six formation areas: aviation, armor, fires, sustainment, engineer and training. The new PAE is directed to prioritize, no later than fiscal 2028, the acquisition and fielding of autonomous fires, combat vehicles, watercraft resupply, reconnaissance and target acquisition systems, and collaborative teaming between crewed and uncrewed platforms.

The memo also expands authorizations for the 15X (tactical unmanned aircraft systems specialists) and 390A (robotics technicians) roles to all applicable Army units.

Hegseth's autonomy push

The Army's directive came a day after Hegseth revealed the Meridian and Agincourt projects, both focused on the robotized future of warfare. On Sept. 30, in his "State of the Force" address, he announced a new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM) centered on drones and similar technology, plus a working group on the future of defense.

"Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made it clear: We are done with the bureaucratic inertia holding back modernization," Telle said. "The Army is rapidly advancing to maintain our lethal edge. We are forging the U.S. Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command to get cutting-edge technology into the hands of Soldiers, while prioritizing autonomy in our formations, our acquisitions, and our training to dominate the future of warfare."

Why it matters

U.S. military leadership has advocated manned-unmanned teaming for years, and drone successes in Eastern Europe, on the ground, in the air and on the water, have raised the stakes. The new command and PAE sit within a broader push to scale drone production and deliver those weapons to the force, including the Drone Dominance program, the Army-led Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) and a Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager (DRPM) for autonomy.

The effort also builds on the Army's activation of the Capability Program Executive Office for Mission Autonomy earlier this year. "This is about combat readiness to destroy the enemy and ensure our Army never enters a fair fight," Telle said.