The United States Department of War has created a senior position to coordinate a vast array of projects related to unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS (c-UAS) weapon systems. The new position — direct reporting portfolio manager for unmanned systems (DRPM-UxS) — will report directly to the deputy secretary of war. War Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined the responsibilities of the new position in a June 29, 2026, memo. The manager will “direct all activities to develop, procure, field, sustain and operationalize unmanned and autonomous systems across all domains,” the memo stated.
The move comes as the U.S. increasingly deploys UAS weapons in battlefield conditions, including the current conflict with Iran. “Adversaries collectively produce millions of unmanned systems each year across all domains. While global military unmanned systems production has skyrocketed over the last three years, the United States has been slow to field these capabilities at scale. Drones and autonomous systems are the most consequential battlefield innovation of this generation. The DOW must move at the speed this moment demands,” Hegseth wrote.
The DRPM-UxS, which also has been referred to in media accounts as the “drone czar,” will be the “single joint integrator for all unmanned and autonomous system programs,” according to the memo. The memo states the official will direct all activities to develop, acquire and deploy the following UAS and c-UAS weapons and support functions:
- Unmanned aerial systems
- Unmanned surface vessels
- Unmanned underwater vessels
- Unmanned ground systems
- Unmanned autonomy/artificial intelligence/swarming software
- Counter unmanned systems
- Logistical support to unmanned systems
- Unmanned and counter unmanned system marketplaces
This new manager will coordinate with three previously created DRPM positions for submarines, aircraft and the Golden Dome for America missile defense program. The Navy’s medium unmanned surface vessels, MQ-25 aerial tanker and the MQ-4 Triton surveillance aircraft as well as the Air Force’s collaborative combat aircraft are excluded from the position’s oversight, reported USNI News, a military affairs news site.
Hegseth’s memo comes a little over a year after President Donald Trump issued three executive orders outlining a new policy for UAS and c-UAS programs. In June 2025, one order directed the War Department to prioritize the procurement, training and operation of UAS and c-UAS weapons. Another executive order, issued on the same day, established protocols and requirements to protect U.S. airspace from hostile drones. Those orders succeeded an April 2025 executive order that streamlined the War Department’s procurement process to speed the production, testing and deployment of drones and counter-drone systems to maintain the U.S. advantage as the world’s most lethal warfighting military.
Gen. Michael Guetlein has acted as the DRPM for the U.S. Space Command’s Golden Dome since July 2025. Since then, two more DRPMs have been created: Navy Vice Adm. Rob Gaucher leads the unmanned submarine efforts while Air Force Gen. Dale White heads up the B-21 bomber, F-47 fighter and Sentinel ICBM programs.
The goal of the DRPMs is to cut through red tape, Under Secretary of Defense of Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey said in December 2025.
“This structural reorganization directly implements a series of decisive actions taken by the administration. Drones and autonomous systems represent the most consequential battlefield innovation of this generation,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told USNI News.