The Pentagon has released the largest defense funding request in US history, with $75 billion earmarked for drones

The Pentagon has released its largest defense funding request in history, at $1.5 trillion, a 42% increase over current spending. Of this amount, $75 billion is earmarked for drones and countermeasures. The largest part of these funds, namely $54.6 billion, is to go to the little-known Defense Autonomous Working Group (DAWG), which this year receives only $225.9 million. This is reported by Bloomberg.

The increase from $225.9 million to $54.6 billion means that funding increases 241 times in just one year. The Pentagon says this is the largest single-year increase in the history of any U.S. defense program or unit.

DAWG is not a research lab, but an application unit. It works with U.S. special operations forces, which test drones daily and provide feedback to manufacturers to refine systems before the military purchases them.

The group analyzes drones, which can operate both autonomously and under operator control, and also determines ways to integrate them into the structures of various branches of the military. DAWG was created during the current Trump administration and is part of the US Special Operations Command.

The unit is also responsible for the Replicator initiative, which was launched during the Biden administration. It envisaged the production and deployment of thousands of disposable autonomous drones by August 2025, but this deadline has already passed without any publicly announced results.

Among the systems that have already been selected within Replicator are:

• AeroVironment’s Switchblade 600 is an anti-tank loitering munition;
• Anduril Industries’ Ghost-X is a reconnaissance and strike drone;
• Performance Drone Works’ C-100.