"Adversaries collectively produce millions of unmanned systems each year across all Domains," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a memo creating a new autonomy czar to centralize nearly all of the Pentagon's drone and unmanned systems efforts.
DRPM-UxS: a single joint integrator reporting to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg
In a memo signed Monday and obtained by Breaking Defense, Hegseth established a Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for autonomy — labeled DRPM-UxS — that will report directly to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg. The memo describes the DRPM-UxS as "the single joint integrator for all unmanned and autonomous system programs" within the Department of Defense. No individual has been named to fill the post, and the memo provides no timeline for when one will be in place.
Which programs move under the DRPM-UxS
- All UAS groups 1–3 will be placed under the DRPM-UxS; the memo explicitly excludes major unmanned airframes such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
- All autonomous ground vehicles will move into the DRPM-UxS portfolio.
- All unmanned surface vessels will be included, with the single exception of the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program.
- Underwater unmanned vessels will be worked "in coordination" with Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, the submarine DRPM, who currently controls part of that portfolio.
- Unmanned autonomy/artificial intelligence/swarming software programs, and the "marketplaces" established for unmanned systems throughout the department, also fall under the DRPM-UxS.
Defense Innovation Unit, DAWG, and JIATF-401: roles and reporting changes
The memo assigns the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to "serve as the primary industry engagement interface between the DoW and commercial industry for all unmanned and autonomous systems programs within the DRPM-UxS portfolio." Two existing offices — the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) and Joint Interagency Task Force 401 — will be reconstituted as deputy offices under the new DRPM-UxS.
JIATF-401, which currently leads the effort to develop Counter‑Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, will see its responsibilities expand: the memo directs it to counter all drone systems regardless of domain. At the same time, the memo states that "This oversight will not change the current organizational alignment and placement of JIATF-401 and DAWG personnel and billets."
Acquisition authority and the push to move faster
The memo gives the DRPM-UxS precedence on "all acquisition matters related to execution of UxS programs after the Sec War and the DepSecWar." It directs the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment (USW(A&S)), named in the memo as the Defense Acquisition Executive (DAE), to support the DRPM-UxS in executing acquisition authorities. That support may include "use of streamlined acquisition authorities to rapidly, efficiently, and effectively deliver UxS capabilities."
Secretary Hegseth framed the change as a response to pace and scale: "While global military unmanned systems production has skyrocketed over the last three years, the United States has been slow to field these capabilities at scale. Drones and autonomous systems are the most consequential battlefield innovation of this generation. The [Pentagon] must move at the speed this moment demands."
The memo’s DRPM construct follows earlier adoptions of the model inside the department. The DRPM concept first appeared after Gen. Michael Guetlein was appointed to lead the Golden Dome initiative in July 2025. Since then the model has expanded: Vice Adm. Gaucher was given authority over submarine efforts, and Gen. Dale White took a portfolio covering B‑21, F‑47 and Sentinel ICBM programs. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey told reporters in December that the DRPM roles aim to cut through bureaucracy, while also noting they are "not cookie cutter in design."
What this means for the Army, DIU, and JIATF‑401
- Army acquisition leaders: The Army last year reorganized into six Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) and moved autonomy under PAE Maneuver Air; the memo does not specify how those service‑level alignments will change in practice, even as it places much autonomy work under the new DRPM‑UxS.
- Defense Innovation Unit (DIU): DIU has been named the primary industry engagement interface for the DRPM‑UxS portfolio, a formalization of a commercial engagement role the memo assigns across all unmanned and autonomous programs within DRPM‑UxS.
- Joint Interagency Task Force 401: JIATF‑401 will retain its personnel and billets while expanding its remit from counter‑small UAS to countering all drone systems regardless of domain and will serve as a deputy office to the DRPM‑UxS.
Vacancy, timing, and immediate open questions
The memo contains clear direction but leaves key implementation details open: no DRPM-UxS has been named and no date is set for when one should assume the role. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the report. It is also not specified how service-level program offices will be realigned in practice, or how exceptions such as the MUSV will be managed operationally under the new authority.
Hegseth’s memo centralizes authority and signals an intent to accelerate acquisition and integration of unmanned and autonomous systems across domains. The paper makes a firm managerial choice — to corral a sprawling array of air, ground and sea programs under one integrator — but it leaves the next concrete steps, including who will fill the role and when, for the department to resolve.
