WASHINGTON — The Association of the United States Army showcased its annual conference from Oct. 12-14 in Washington, assembling defense industry officials, lawmakers and military personnel from around the globe to assess the future force and evolving threats.

Dominating displays at this year’s show was an unmistakable surge in automation and unmanned systems, as well as weaponry and vehicle capabilities that continue to adapt to a frenzied pace of innovation at the heart of today’s conflicts.

Army officials attending the conference emphasized the service’s need for rapid transformation as the technologies at the core of these conflicts seemingly evolve by the day.

Defense News and Army Times covered these discussions — and more — from this year’s show.

Catch up on all of our top stories from this year’s AUSA conference and be sure to read our latest coverage at defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa.

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Drone dominance

Pentagon, Army go all in on autonomy

The Pentagon wants to take its stockpile of autonomous weapons from thousands of units into 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. Read more here.

Autonomous weapons are changing the way brigades fight

At Fort Bragg, soldiers recently tested how unmanned systems could help troops breach obstacles while reducing exposure to battlefield hazards.

During Project Sandhills 2.0, soldiers planned flight routes and operated Bumblebee V2 small unmanned aircraft systems at Range 63.

The project tested how unmanned systems could support contested obstacle breaching, while soldiers and industry partners collected feedback to inform future Army capabilities. Read more here.

US Army to stand up command for unmanned and autonomous warfare

The U.S. Army ordered the creation of its own command for autonomous systems a day after Hegseth announced a new four-star military command for unmanned and autonomous warfare.

An Oct. 1 memo signed by Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle directs the Army vice chief of staff to establish the U.S. Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, or FASCOM. It also tells the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, who oversees how the Army buys weapons, to put one office in charge of purchasing its priority autonomous systems. Read more here.

US Army expands drone marketplace to 33 nations

The U.S. Army’s online marketplace for rapid drone acquisition is expanding internationally.

Representatives of Canada, Croatia, Egypt, Japan, Kuwait, Morocco, Albania and Panama signed a statement of intent to join the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Marketplace during a ceremony Tuesday.

Since the marketplace was stood up, it has processed $800 million in transactions. Read more here.

Drone carrying M250 machine gun completes firing test

A heavy-duty quadcopter carrying Sig Sauer’s new M250 light machine gun has completed a test requiring it to identify and engage targets from the air, the company announced Tuesday.

Sig Sauer completed the test in concert with Israel Aerospace Industries, maker of the Fire Storm 250, a reusable drone that can stay airborne for two hours and is designed with a stabilized machine-gun mount. Read more here.

US Army targets 2028 for first high-energy laser counter-drone weapons

The first directed energy weapon selected by the U.S. Army for the Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program could be out of testing and ready for counter-drone operations by early 2028, Army officials told Military Times.

In September, the Army awarded AeroVironment a $464.8 million contract for LOCUST X3, its modular, palletized high-energy laser system. Earlier generations of the LOCUST system are actively fielded in operational environments, including at the U.S. southern border, according to AeroVironment. The first LOCUST X3 is slated for delivery by Q4 of FY 2027 and will be mounted on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. Read more here.

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