The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget request allocates $75 billion for drones and counter-drone technology, defense officials said Tuesday. The bulk of that funding goes to a little-known office under U.S. Special Operations Command in what officials described as the largest single year-over-year increase of any defense program or office in the request.
⭕🇺🇸 Pentagon goes all-in on drone warfare.
The Pentagon is seeking a massive $75 billion allocation for drones and counter-drone systems as part of its record $1.5 trillion defense budget.
At the center is the little-known Defense Autonomous Working Group (DAWG), set to receive… pic.twitter.com/5xHDdpR8si— Defense_Vortex 🇺🇸 (@Defense_Vortex) April 21, 2026
The Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG), which received $225.9 million in fiscal 2026, is requesting $54.6 billion in fiscal 2027. Of that total, only $1 billion is included in regular discretionary spending.
The largest budget request in Pentagon history includes $75 billion for drones and counter-drone technologies, with $54.6 billion allocated for the autonomous defense task force
This is reported by Bloomberg, noting that most of the funding is directed towards testing,… pic.twitter.com/DpzwVFOcP3
— Sprinter Press Agency (@SprinterPress) April 21, 2026
The remaining $53.6 billion is requested as mandatory spending and requires passage of a separate reconciliation bill to take effect.
“I think of the DAWG as a pathfinder, they’re out there finding the best technology for us and working on integration,” said Jules “Jay” Hurst, performing the duties of Pentagon comptroller, at the Tuesday briefing.
DAWG operates within U.S. Special Operations Command, directed by Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan, according to a November 2025 Pentagon statement. The office absorbed the Biden-era Replicator initiative after that program failed to meet its August 2025 target for fielding thousands of expendable autonomous drones.
Systems carried over include AeroVironment’s Switchblade 600 anti-armor loitering munition, Anduril Industries’ Ghost-X reconnaissance and attack drone, and Performance Drone Works’ C-100.
“The first thing I will be looking for is a better description of what specifically the working group will actually spend that money on,” said Todd Harrison, a defense expert at the American Enterprise Institute.
SASC has held 3 briefings/hearings with officials from DAWG, JIATF-401, and the Drone Dominance team. The alignment and approach across the department on the adoption of autonomous systems is fantastic.
We are finally matching the U.S. government’s long-standing call for a… https://t.co/EieNyh2AS1
— SASC Republicans (@SASCGOP) April 21, 2026
Separately, the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401), the Pentagon’s counter-unmanned aircraft systems body established through an August 28, 2025 memorandum by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is requesting $580.3 million in research, development, test, and evaluation funds for fiscal 2027, up from $6.5 million the prior year, according to Pentagon budget documents.
