War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday the creation of a new four-star military command dedicated to autonomous warfare, part of a broader effort to expand the Pentagon’s use of drones, robotics, and artificial intelligence on the battlefield.

The Autonomous Warfare Command, dubbed AUTOWARCOM, will receive “service-like authorities” intended to accelerate the development, purchase, and deployment of autonomous systems across the military, Hegseth said during his annual State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

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