The Pentagon’s office for uncrewed systems sent more than 1,300 one-way attack drones to US Central Command this year, the Department of War said on 4 November. It counted them with more than 100 drone boats and underwater drones and more than 24,000 counter-drone systems, for about $782 million in all.
The office is the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems. Its chief executive, Owen West, also runs Project Agincourt, the forerunner of the four-star Autonomous Warfare Command that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants by 1 October 2027. West said the aim was “decisive, affordable mass”.
What the release leaves out
It names no drone, boat or counter-drone system, and no maker. It gives no split of the $782 million between attack drones and defences, and no count of how many were used. It does not say whether “this year” means the fiscal year that ended on 30 September or the calendar year.
The counter-drone systems went out through Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the Pentagon’s counter-drone office.
One award, named
The same day, the task force named one purchase. It awarded CHAOS 1, Inc. a contract worth more than $6.9 million for Vanquish Prime radars, with training, for US forces in the Central Command area. Lt. Col. Matthew Strohman, the task force’s capability manager for mobile counter-drone systems, said the aim was tools delivered “at the speed of relevance”.
The Pentagon says deliveries will widen to the Pacific and European commands. In its 2027 budget it asked Congress for $54.6 billion for the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group. Congress has so far written $1 billion of that into its bills.
