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The Pentagon established the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS) as a dedicated acquisition office for military drone and counter-drone capabilities. The office will implement repeatable procurement processes to field drone capabilities at scale and support a new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command.
What's happening
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued new policies fusing military drone purchasing with operational deployments under DRPM-UxS leadership.
- DRPM-UxS will serve as an acquisition engine for drone and counter-drone capabilities with authority to push decisions and dollars to operational forces.
- The office will chart a path for a new functional four-star combatant command focused on autonomous warfare.
- Bonnie Evangelista leads procurement for DRPM-UxS, responsible for acquisition transformation and laying foundation for the Autonomous Warfare Command.
Why it matters
- Consolidating drone procurement and deployment under one office eliminates the traditional separation between buyers and operators, compressing acquisition timelines.
- A repeatable procurement system focused on combat adaptability rather than specific drone models accelerates the military's ability to field new autonomous capabilities.
- Establishment of a four-star command dedicated to autonomous warfare signals organizational commitment to drone and autonomous systems as a core warfighting domain.
- Direct reporting status bypasses legacy bureaucratic layers, enabling faster resource allocation and authority to override traditional acquisition constraints.
Going deeper
- Evangelista previously co-founded the Pentagon's Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace for commercial AI and data products, bringing experience with rapid commercial integration.
- Owen West, director of the Defense Innovation Unit, took leave to steer DRPM-UxS, embedding innovation unit culture into the new acquisition office.
- Hegseth's memo emphasizes the goal is not procurement of particular drones but building the military's ability to adapt rapidly in combat while managing cost exchange rates.
Source: defensescoop.com · Oct 6, 2026 · Drafted with Claude, reviewed by Industrial Base Alpha.