North Carolina pushes to land Autonomous Warfare Command
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Perennial Autonomy drones stacked inside a "Bee Hive" at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Photo: Colin Demarest/Axios
North Carolina elected officials and business groups are making a public push to land a planned command center on autonomous warfare.
Why it matters: In September, the Department of Defense announced it would create the Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM), a new four-star command meant to lead the military's efforts around autonomous warfare, like drones or unmanned combat vehicles.
Driving the news: North Carolina wants the Department of Defense to select the state as the headquarters for the command, Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican, said in a letter on Monday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- The letter was co-signed by nearly the entire state's congressional delegation, according to Budd's office. Business groups like the N.C. Chamber and the N.C. Critical Technologies Alliances are also backing it.
Zoom in: Jarrett Lane, co-founder of N.C. Critical Tech, told Axios that North Carolina makes a lot of sense as a landing spot, as a lot of autonomous tech is already being tested here, whether it's with Special Forces and the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg or the Marines at Camp Lejeune.
- At the same time, the state is becoming a growing tech hub, with universities increasingly focused on autonomous robotics.
- The command center, he added, could become a magnet for attracting companies working on autonomous capabilities.
What they're saying: "Wherever this command is, it has real potential to become a magnet for companies all across the country advancing autonomous capabilities and trying to position them with the military," Lane told Axios.
The big picture: The defense industry has become a major focus of North Carolina's economic development leaders in recent years.
- Flashback: In 2018, Raleigh competed heavily to land the U.S. Army Futures Command. Ultimately, that command went to Austin, Texas, before being deactivated last year.
What's next: It remains to be seen how the Department of Defense will go about choosing a landing spot for AUTOWARCOM and what its timeline is.
- Lane said his group isn't pushing any specific location within North Carolina for the command, but noted the state has a diverse set of geographies that are great for testing new technologies.