Hegseth touts ‘generational’ tech overhaul for U.S. military
by Guy Taylor, John T. Seward · The Washington TimesDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned at the Association of the United States Army’s annual convention Wednesday that America faces an era of broadening global conflict in which adversaries such as China threaten to outpace the U.S. military in artificial intelligence and other advanced defense technologies, especially if the Pentagon does not move more quickly to modernize.
In remarks that were briefly interrupted by anti-war protesters, Mr. Hegseth told military officials gathered in downtown Washington that the Pentagon must eliminate as much bureaucracy as possible so that fast-evolving new technologies can be purchased, tested and adopted at a rate that makes U.S. enemies think twice about engaging in conflict.
In essence, the defense secretary told the AUSA convention that an effective, rapid adoption of the right new weaponry is needed to deliver “echelons of deterrence that make your adversary wonder whether today is their day.”
People were interested in these podcasts
Mr. Hegseth, who was flanked on stage by the acting and current secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force, suggested he was referring specifically to the growing great-power military competition between the U.S. and China.
“We’ve got a near-peer adversary [that is] building up [its] military, the most historic military buildup potentially in world history,” he said. “Whoever’s ahead now is going to be much further ahead.”
He pulled no punches in criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the situation.
“I actually don’t know what the previous administration did for four years in this job when you look at the future of warfare and where it’s going,” Mr. Hegseth said. “On hypersonics … they took a nap. On space, they took a nap. On weaponization of space, they took a nap. On drones, they took a nap.
“Like, as the world was evolving and changing, and adversaries were shaping the way they fight, [the previous administration] seemed to think the world is static,” he said, adding that “what you will see from President Trump is that we have to adapt in real time. Adapt, iterate, innovate. That’s our competitive advantage.
Advertisement Advertisement
“What you know you will get from us is urgency. Urgency to address threats around the world as well.”
Seconds after Mr. Hegseth made that remark, a protester could be heard screaming from the back of the auditorium: “You’re a [expletive] war criminal!”
A small group of protesters, including one who briefly blared what appeared to be a handheld air horn, had entered the audience at AUSA, which was held this week at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
The disruptions were ultimately overshadowed by a chant of “USA, USA, USA” from hundreds of military officials and defense industry representatives in the audience Wednesday morning.
Mr. Hegseth seized the moment to offer insight into his recently announced “Project Agincourt,” which he said will establish an entirely new Autonomous Warfare Command within the Pentagon to more quickly bring artificial intelligence, uncrewed systems and modern computing power to the battlefield.
Advertisement Advertisement
The four-star command, which is becoming known by military shorthand as AutoWarCom, will focus on integrating systems “from space to what we’re doing in sub-sea,” the defense secretary said.
Recently publicized Pentagon documents indicate that Oct. 1, 2027, has been set as the deadline to establish AutoWarCom, and congressional authorization will be needed for the new command to have the level of decision-making authority Mr. Hegseth is seeking.
The defense secretary expressed confidence Wednesday that it will happen quickly.
“Not only will we get it done by the deadline,” he said, “but I think we’ll get it done sooner.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Mr. Hegseth also praised Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, a Wall Street billionaire tapped by Mr. Trump to accelerate U.S. weapons production aggressively and shorten delivery times.Mr. Hegseth called Mr. Feinberg the Pentagon’s “secret weapon” for modernization efforts and major changes to the process by which U.S. forces buy equipment and secure contracts.
In recent months, Mr. Feinberg has worked behind the scenes to establish longer-term contracts with the major U.S. defense companies that produce critical munitions, committing the Pentagon to consistent purchases for years to come. It is a development that Mr. Hegseth said Wednesday will “save the taxpayer money” by locking in prices for the next seven years.
Such savings could be critical at a moment when American air defense missile system munitions have been depleted by the ongoing U.S. war with Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Mr. Feinberg, meanwhile, has been key to an internal Pentagon effort to redirect funds through the Office of Strategic Capital into venture capital and private equity channels that fund private companies developing drones and AI systems for the U.S. military.
Advertisement Advertisement
Those new technologies will fall under the Project Agincourt banner, as the Autonomous Warfare Command becomes the headquarters for the Pentagon’s joint force, with each military service developing its own technology.
Mr. Hegseth appeared on stage Wednesday for a panel moderated by Owen West, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations who has been tapped as CEO of Project Agincourt. Others on the panel included acting Army Secretary Adam R. Telle, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and Assistant Secretary of Defense Derrick Anderson.
Mr. Telle said the Army aims to field a host of new capabilities that touch each aspect of the service, including collaborative teaming between crewed and uncrewed platforms by next fall. A major part of building those new capabilities is a “symbiosis with industry” that allows defense contractors to work directly with the military, the acting Army secretary said.
He and others on stage with Mr. Hegseth described a shift occurring across the Pentagon to put the most modern and capable warfare equipment into the hands of future soldiers.
Advertisement Advertisement
“The urgency of the moment has arrived,” Mr. Hegseth said. “You’ve got an opportunity to ensure that you actually do deter the threats of the future, that you ensure peace through strength. That’s the whole point.”
On a separate front, the defense secretary sought to downplay the prospect of a looming Pentagon budget fight on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Hegseth expressed confidence that Congress will deliver on the administration’s historic budget request, saying the $1.5 trillion Fiscal 2027 request amounts to a “one-time generational investment” in American war power.
The Republican-controlled House has already passed a $1.15 trillion version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2027. The spending legislation is sitting in the Senate, where it remains stalled amid Democratic resistance.
Defense industry insiders have expressed wariness that the budget could be derailed if Democrats take control of either the House or the Senate — or both — in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
At issue is a roughly $350 billion gap between what the House has passed and what the administration requested for fiscal year 2027. Much of that money is already earmarked for elements of a vast, advanced-technology military modernization effort that Mr. Hegseth is pushing.
The defense secretary, who appeared at the AUSA convention before the redesigned department logo was unveiled, said it is “absolutely critical” that the military receive the funds.
“Regardless of what happens in the midterm,” Mr. Hegseth said, “we’re running fast, immediately with the committees to ensure that [a] reconciliation bill at a minimum of $350 billion, potentially more, ultimately fills up what this department needs.”
Contact the author
John T. Seward
Follow author updates Follow Click to follow. Manage followed authors
Guy Taylor
Follow author updates Follow Click to follow. Manage followed authors