Pete Hegseth’s Future-War Military Plan Centers on Autonomous Warfare, Tech Leaders, and Base Resilience

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth used a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico to lay out a six-part blueprint for reshaping the US military. The plan goes beyond expected cuts to generals and admirals, focusing instead on how the Pentagon develops weapons, protects infrastructure, positions forces at home, and reinforces religious and patriotic ideals. The through line is readiness for future conflict, with autonomous warfare and defense-tech partnerships at the center.

The Pentagon is set to create a new four-star command devoted to autonomous and robotic warfare: Autonomous Warfare Command, or AUTOWARCOM. Hegseth said it will have “service-like authorities,” though he did not specify what those authorities will include. Project Agincourt is intended to speed fielding and procurement of autonomous systems by pairing commercial developers with active-duty forces, moving decisions closer to front-line units, and creating career paths for autonomous warfare.

Project Meridian will bring together government officials, academics, and private-sector leaders to study technologies and future battlefields that could shape conflicts decades from now. The effort will be overseen by Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael and co-led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich. Hegseth said the group’s first findings are expected within 120 days, with a focus on weapons and systems needed by future generations.

The Fortress America initiative is aimed at making military installations and supply chains more resilient during major attacks or global disruptions. Hegseth said every major US military installation will eventually be able to generate its own power without relying entirely on local electrical grids, helping bases operate through cyberattacks or grid failures. The initiative also seeks to bring critical defense supply chains into the United States, including rare earths, specialty metals, semiconductors, and propellants.

Hegseth’s remaining directives include a nationwide competition to build what he described as the first major new US military installation in decades. He also outlined new university programs to expand officer development in line with the Trump administration’s values. Another directive creates an Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to the secretary to support chaplains and religious activities across the military.