May 01, 1957

In a “State of the Force” address Sept. 30, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced plans for a new four-star command to lead the military-wide push to field autonomous systems, one of several initiatives meant to further his sweeping transformation of the Pentagon.

The White House nominated Lt. Gen. David Miller to lead U.S. Space Command, replacing Gen. Stephen Whiting, who is expected to retire by January 2027. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth plans to announce Sept. 30 that the Pentagon will slash the number of general and flag officers by 20 percent

The Pentagon on Sept. 28 announced a contract potentially worth $20.7 billion for RTX to build Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles used by Navy and Air Force aircraft and for ground-based interceptors.

For the past four years, the idea of autonomous drone warfare like Collaborative Combat Aircraft has been discussed as a future concept, rather than near-term reality. But now that promised vision appears imminent, with the Air Force promising at least 1,000 such drones by 2032.