Pentagon officials emphasized that most of the money would go toward acquiring drone and autonomous warfare technologies that already exist, and is largely separate from additional funding that would bolster America’s domestic manufacturing capacity to build such weapons systems. “All of that $70 billion is going into existing systems and technologies,” Hurst said. “Support for the industrial base is completely independent.”
The rapidly changing pace of drone warfare
The US military already has a long history of developing and deploying drones during its Global war on terrorism campaign, including the MQ-1B Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones that have performed surveillance and attack missions while operating at medium or high altitudes. But recent conflicts, especially the Russo-Ukrainian Warhave shown how smaller, quadcopter-style drones and longer-range, unidirectional attack drones that act as missiles can reshape the modern battlefield and force opposing sides to quickly adapt to new innovations and strategies.
Another sign of the times is the large number of cheap products made in Iran. Shahed Drones They have proven effective in attacking cities and energy infrastructure in Ukraine and the Middle East. These drones cost as little as $20,000 to manufacture and can overwhelm air defense systems, inspiring even the US military to recently adopt its own version. reverse engineering from the original Iranian design.
The ongoing rivalry between the United States and China has also seen both countries’ militaries rush to develop new ways to take advantage of AI-enabled autonomous capabilities. drone swarms and other unmanned technologies in preparation for a possible conflict in the Pacific.
“The evolution that we have seen on the battlefield is this evolution of technologies in a span of weeks, not in the typical years that we see with our defense production,” he said Lt. Gen. Steven Whitneydirector of force structure, resources and evaluation of the Joint Staff of the Pentagon, during the Pentagon press conference. “That’s why it’s really critical that we work with industry to implement that capability.”
Whether or not the US military increases its spending on drones and autonomous warfare to that extent in the next fiscal year depends on US lawmakers, who must first approve the Pentagon budget. The proposed $1.5 trillion budget for the U.S. military would represent the largest year-over-year. increased defense spending since World War II, according to Reuters.
