US military launches first-ever autonomous warfare command to deploy unmanned systems across Latin America

The U.S. subject is launching a caller autonomous warfare bid to deploy cutting-edge unmanned systems crossed Latin America, marking a first-of-its-kind determination by a combatant command.

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) commandant Gen. Francis Donovan said Tuesday helium ordered the instauration of the SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command to enactment nationalist information priorities and determination efforts.

"From the seafloor to abstraction and crossed the cyber domain, we afloat mean to leverage the wide superiority of the American defence ecosystem by deploying cutting-edge innovation and moving ever person with our enduring partners successful the portion to outmatch those who endanger our corporate bid and security," Donovan said successful a statement.

According to SOUTHCOM, the caller bid volition employment "autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms and systems to antagonistic threats and challenges crossed domains, linking tactical missions to semipermanent strategical effects."

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Gen. Francis Donovan, caput of U.S. Southern Command, said the subject is advancing the usage of drones and autonomous systems successful determination operations. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

SAWC volition besides enactment with U.S. allies successful the portion and beforehand missions including targeting narcoterrorist and cartel networks and responding to large-scale earthy disasters.

Donovan said the portion is well-suited for innovation and collaboration with partners.

"Our geographic country of work has a wide scope of conditions, varied terrain, and divers operational environments that marque it an perfect mounting successful which to innovate. It is besides a portion with precise susceptible and committed information partners who thin forward, clasp technologies and are precise anxious to enactment collaboratively with america to enactment determination stableness successful caller and effectual ways," helium said.

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U.S. Southern Command is expanding the usage of drones and autonomous systems arsenic it launches a caller warfare unit, officials said. (U.S. Southern Command)

SOUTHCOM is liable for subject operations successful Central and South America and the Caribbean, including counter-narcotics missions aimed astatine disrupting cause trafficking networks that endanger U.S. interests.

The U.S. subject has carried retired dozens of strikes successful caller months connected suspected drug-smuggling vessels arsenic portion of a broader run to dismantle cartel-linked trafficking operations.

In a written posture connection to Congress earlier this year, Donovan said helium aimed to leverage emerging technologies, telling lawmakers helium intended "to capitalize connected adjacent procreation capabilities similar unmanned platforms, AI integration, and commercialized tools to amended alteration america and our partners to antagonistic … threats together."

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Drones and AI-powered systems are portion of a caller U.S. Southern Command inaugural to antagonistic determination threats. (U.S. Southern Command)

In March, Donovan told an Armed Services Committee subordinate helium aimed to physique cost-effective, modernized forces for SOUTHCOM’s mission, including autonomous systems and human-machine teaming, "to greatly summation lethality, all-domain awareness, and information sharing for U.S. and spouse forces."

SOUTHCOM said it volition enactment with the subject services and the War Department’s Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) to place capabilities needed for the caller bid to statesman operations and integrate into its mission.