Pentagon incorporates DAWG into new autonomous warfare group — Breaking Defense
In the United States, the Department of Defense is incorporating the Defense Autonomous Working Group (DAWG) into the new Task Force Autonomous Warfare within U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This was stated by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Derrick Anderson on October 14 at the annual Association of the United States Army conference in Washington.
As Breaking Defense reports, the new task force is to support Project Agincourt, the Pentagon's broader initiative in unmanned technologies. It is also expected to facilitate the creation of Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM) in the future.
New structure in SOCOM
According to Anderson, the absorption of DAWG by the new Task Force Autonomous Warfare is intended to ensure uninterrupted work on autonomous technologies. DAWG was placed under SOCOM's management in 2025 to work with various capability portfolios.
The group was established after the Replicator initiative from the Joe Biden administration, which aimed to significantly increase the production of drones and counter-drone systems. Project Agincourt is led by Owen West, who moderated a panel discussion on autonomous systems at the conference.
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Plans for AUTOWARCOM and funding
The Pentagon plans to establish AUTOWARCOM with authorities similar to those of separate military services in order to scale autonomous and robotic capabilities across the U.S. joint force. However, congressional approval is required to implement this plan.
The Pentagon has also outlined plans to spend nearly $55 billion on DAWG. The U.S. Congress has not yet approved the defense budget for fiscal year 2027 and has not advanced consideration of the administration's separate request to reconcile budget expenditures, so the final amount of funding remains uncertain.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the full amount of requested funding is necessary for changes within the department. He called these expenditures a one-time generational investment that, he said, would affect the U.S. joint force for decades.
