Pentagon announces new autonomous drones, systems program

The Pentagon on Monday announced a new program focused on building out thousands of autonomous systems, including drones, as the U.S. seeks to better counter China’s vast military buildup.

The U.S. is pledging to build out the self-operating drones and defense systems at a more rapid pace to counter China’s mass procurement of conventional military resources — but the move is likely to face opposition from human rights groups and activists who are concerned about autonomous weapons that can kill without human input.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks unveiled the new initiative, called Replicator, at the National Defense Industrial Association conference on emerging technologies in Washington, D.C.

Hicks said the program was a “big bet” on overcoming the “biggest advantage” of China’s military, called the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), notably its strength in military resources.

“Rarely have America’s war-winning strategies relied solely on matching an adversary ship-for-ship and shot-for-shot,” she said during her address at the conference. “Instead, we out-match adversaries by out-thinking, out-strategizing, and out-maneuvering them.”

Hicks said the Defense Department would leverage “autonomous systems in all domains,” which she said are less expensive and would ultimately put “fewer people in the line of fire.”

“We’ll counter the PLA’s mass with mass of our own, but ours will be harder to plan for, harder to hit, harder to beat,” she said.

The U.S. has already invested in autonomous weapons systems, including self-piloting ships and uncrewed aircraft, but Hicks said the Pentagon would now be taking it “to the next level,” producing new systems and weapons at a more aggressive pace.

The next 18 to 24 months will see thousands of autonomous systems developed across multiple sectors, according to Hicks, with the help of the defense industry.

Hicks will oversee the program along with Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Christopher Grady and Doug Beck, director of the Defense Innovation Unit.

The drones that most people are familiar with are unmanned aircraft but are operated by a human remotely. Modern and fully autonomous weapons have rarely been used in warfare.

But the war in Ukraine has seen Russia deploy the self-operating Lancet drone to devastating effect.

Several human rights groups have campaigned to ban autonomous weapons use. The United Nations is still weighing the issue and has yet to reach a definite agreement.

The International Red Cross humanitarian organization has recommended strict global guidelines on the use of autonomous weapons and the prohibition of “unpredictable” systems as well as those designed to use force.

The Pentagon in January updated its guidelines on the use of autonomous systems this year that ensures a comprehensive review of weapons systems ahead of deployment and the “appropriate levels of human judgment” before use of force. It also creates a working group to oversee issues.

Hicks said the Pentagon will work to ensure the systems developed from Replicator are consistent with ethical considerations.

“These capabilities will be developed and fielded in line with our responsible and ethical approach to AI and autonomous systems,” she said on Monday.