Overview
- SOUTHCOM, which oversees U.S. military cooperation in the Caribbean, Central America and South America, announced Tuesday it will stand up the SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command to employ autonomous, semi-autonomous and unmanned systems.
- The new unit is tasked with linking tactical drone missions to longer-term outcomes, including work with regional allies to disrupt narcoterrorist and cartel networks and to respond to large natural disasters.
- Command leaders said they will coordinate with the military services and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group to identify the people, tools and processes needed to launch the effort.
- The announcement did not include a start date, signaling that staffing, capability choices and integration plans are still being worked out.
- The step fits a broader U.S. emphasis on the hemisphere, reflected in January’s activation of Space Forces Southern to formalize space support to operations across the region.