Pentagon needs $50B for mass drone production, Hegseth says

The Pentagon wants to build its stockpile of autonomous weapons from thousands of units to the millions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed AUSA attendees at the Project Agincourt panel on Wednesday, sharing that the Pentagon is requesting roughly $50 billion in reconciliation funding to support the push to scale autonomous and robotic systems. This request is part of an effort to make the technology available in far greater numbers. The figure is separate from the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget request, which includes $53.6 billion for the Drone Dominance initiative . That request…