# DoD Scales Autonomous Warfare Procurement

At the October 14, 2026, AUSA meeting in Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and service leaders promoted a proposed $1.5 trillion defense topline and at least $350 billion in additional FY2027 defense reconciliation funding, including about $50 billion for autonomous and robotic systems. The requests remain subject to congressional action. The Army is expanding access to drone marketplaces and test ranges, while the planned Autonomous Warfare Command has a target establishment date of October 1, 2027. The signals also identify concrete Army activity: a $93.6 million award pool for Next Generation Command and Control applications and AeroVironment’s $464.8 million LOCUST X3 award.

- **Funding is not yet an award:** The proposed topline, reconciliation package, and autonomy funding depend on congressional decisions; contractors should distinguish these demand signals from funded solicitations and existing awards.
- Companies developing drones, counter-drone systems, robotics, and related capabilities can apply to use Army test ranges; the range reservation website states it will respond within four weeks. The Army’s expanded drone marketplace offers another acquisition pathway.
- The reported $93.6 million Army application award pool and AeroVironment’s LOCUST X3 award show that activity is also occurring through specific procurements. Companies should assess fit with these capabilities and the Army’s evolving autonomy acquisition structure.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Information Technology
**Topics:** Grants & Funding, Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** October 16, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of Defense (DoD)
- Department of the Army (Army)
- U.S. Congress (Congress)
- U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)

### Vendors
- AeroVironment (awardee)

### Key Quotes
> There’s about $50 billion in autonomous and robotic systems in the reconciliation bill that would go into [Defense Autonomous Warfare Group], into Project Agincourt and into AutoWarCom.
> — Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense

> We've got to make sure this stuff is affordable. We've got to make sure we're buying it efficiently. And depending on how you do the comparisons, we're talking five to 10 times cheaper to field some combat power with these autonomous systems compared to not.
> — Troy Meink, Secretary of the Air Force

> To the degree that our bureaucracy is living in the way of our most innovative people from iterating quickly, it's a shame.
> — Adam Telle, Acting Army Secretary

### Sources
- [Pete Hegseth Outlines Massive Defense Spending at AUSA Meeting - teleSUR English](https://www.telesurenglish.net/pete-hegseth-outlines-massive-defense-spending-at-ausa-meeting) - teleSUR English
- [Pete Hegseth defends officer cuts, pushes $1.5 trillion budget at Army convention](https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6148920-pete-hegseth-ausa-convention-takeaways) - The Hill
- [Hegseth, service secretaries discuss ‘generational change’ of Autonomous Warfare Command - Defense One](https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2026/10/hegseth-service-secretaries-discuss-generational-change-autonomous-warfare-command/416586) - Defense One