Pentagon seeks $55B for drones

The Pentagon asked Congress on April 21 for $54.6 billion for a drone-focused office called the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, or DAWG. (breakingdefense.com) (militarytimes.com) That request sits inside the Defense Department’s fiscal 2027 budget plan, which totals about $1.5 trillion when base funding and a separate reconciliation package are combined. (militarytimes.com) (comptroller.war.gov) Pentagon comptroller Jules “Jay” Hurst said DAWG is meant to find technology, test systems with companies in real time, and speed integration into military use. (breakingdefense.com) The jump is unusually large. DAWG received $225.9 million in fiscal 2026, and the new request would send that to $54.6 billion, including $1 billion in the base budget and $53.6 billion from reconciliation. (breakingdefense.com) Military Times reported the broader drone push also includes $21 billion for munitions, counter-drone systems, and programs such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft and the MQ-25. (militarytimes.com) The spending plan reflects how wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have pushed cheap unmanned aircraft and the defenses against them to the center of military planning. The Associated Press reported Pentagon officials tied the request to drones, air defenses, and fighter aircraft used in the Iran war. (apnews.com) (abcnews.com) DAWG also marks a rework of the Biden-era Replicator initiative, which was built to field thousands of lower-cost “attritable” drones, especially for a Pacific conflict. Breaking Defense reported the new office absorbed Replicator and widened the mission to autonomy and collaborative systems. (breakingdefense.com) Lt. Gen. Steven Whitney said the money is aimed at rapid innovation and incremental capability rather than buying one fixed design in large lots for years. (breakingdefense.com) Congress still has to decide how much of the request survives the budget process, especially the reconciliation portion that makes up most of the DAWG total. For now, the Pentagon has put drones and autonomy near the top of its 2027 shopping list. (breakingdefense.com) (comptroller.war.gov)