Senate defense bill calls for new Pentagon command focused on drones

A Senate committee approved a $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill Thursday that directs the Pentagon to establish a combatant command dedicated to drones and robotics. The 2027 National Defense Authorization Act cleared the Senate Armed Services Committee by an 18-9 vote.

The legislation contains multiple sections aimed at reforming Pentagon acquisition processes and accelerating the purchase of low-cost munitions.

Command structure and scope The bill encourages the Defense Department to create a Robotic and Autonomous Systems Combatant Command. The new command would coordinate drone programs across air, land, and maritime domains and streamline acquisition of large numbers of small unmanned systems.

Current Pentagon drone efforts are described as scattered across existing organizations. A dedicated command would serve as a central point for programs such as Drone Dominance, which seeks to field hundreds of thousands of small attack drones by 2027, and counter-drone initiatives including Joint Interagency Task Force 401.

Operational context The United States currently maintains 11 combatant commands responsible for specific geographic or functional areas. The proposed command would operate alongside those existing structures and could be led by a four-star general. One recent example of drone use cited in coverage involves a 24-foot autonomous surface vessel built by a Texas company that assisted in the rescue of two Army crew members after their helicopter was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz.