U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has established the SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC), making it among the first geographic combatant commands to stand up a dedicated structure for autonomous and unmanned systems operations, the command announced April 21.
Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan, SOUTHCOM commander, directed the move to advance National Security Strategy priorities and what the command describes as operational dominance across the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. No timeline for full operational status was specified.
RELEASE: SOUTHCOM Establishes Autonomous Warfare Command #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan has directed the establishment of the SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC) to support the U.S. President’s National Security Strategy priorities, U.S. Secretary of War’s… pic.twitter.com/JbXhMMaIfM
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) April 21, 2026
“We fully intend to use the clear superiority of the American defense ecosystem by deploying cutting-edge innovation and working ever closer with our enduring partners in the region to outmatch those who threaten our collective peace and security,” Donovan said.
Once operational, SAWC will employ autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms across all domains, targeting cartel and narcoterrorist networks and supporting humanitarian disaster response.
In the buildup to launch, SOUTHCOM will coordinate with military services and the Pentagon’s Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) to identify required expertise and capabilities.
DAWG received $225.9 million in fiscal year 2026 and is the subject of a $54.6 billion budget request for fiscal year 2027, a more than 24,000% increase, per Department of Defense budget documents. SAWC is among the first combatant command-level organizations to coordinate directly with DAWG ahead of operations.
In congressional testimony in March, Donovan said he aimed to develop “autonomous systems and human-machine teaming” to “greatly increase lethality, all-domain awareness, and data sharing for U.S. and partner forces.”
The establishment comes as Operation Southern Spear, the U.S. military’s active counter-narcoterrorism campaign in the region, has logged 21 kinetic strikes and 82 combatant deaths as of December 2025, Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson confirmed.
A SOUTHCOM spokesperson told DefenseScoop that the command will take a “deliberate and phased approach” in standing up SAWC.
