New Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager will consolidate acquisition, standards, budgeting, and industry engagement for drone and autonomous programs
The U.S. Department of War announced on July 1 a major reorganization of its unmanned systems enterprise, creating a new Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS) that will oversee the Department’s drone and autonomous systems activities across multiple organizations.
The new position will report directly to the Deputy Secretary of War and is intended to centralize responsibility for the development, procurement, fielding, sustainment, and integration of unmanned and autonomous systems across the Department. According to a memorandum signed June 29, the DRPM-UxS will serve as “the single joint integrator for all unmanned and autonomous system programs within the DoW.”
The announcement builds on a series of executive actions issued in 2025, including Executive Orders focused on domestic drone production, acquisition reform, and counter-unmanned systems capabilities.
“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,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell in a Department of War release.
A Single Office for Unmanned Systems
Rather than creating a new acquisition program, the memorandum establishes a management structure intended to coordinate existing drone and autonomous systems efforts that are currently distributed across multiple organizations.
Initially, the new office will oversee activities involving:
- Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aerial systems
- Unmanned ground systems
- Unmanned surface vessels, with the current Navy medium unmanned surface vessel (mUSV) program excluded
- Unmanned underwater vehicles, coordinated with the Department’s submarine portfolio manager
- Autonomy, artificial intelligence, and swarming software
- Counter-unmanned systems
- Logistics supporting unmanned systems
- Department-wide unmanned and counter-unmanned systems marketplaces
The memorandum also gives the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of War authority to expand or reduce the portfolio over time.
To establish an operational baseline, the new office will provide oversight and strategic direction for missions and funding currently assigned to organizations including Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group. The memorandum also designates the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) as the Department’s primary interface with commercial industry for unmanned and autonomous systems within the portfolio.
Broad Authority Across Acquisition and Standards
The memorandum grants the DRPM-UxS broad responsibilities extending well beyond program coordination.
Among its authorities, the office will:
- Serve as milestone decision authority for designated unmanned systems acquisition programs.
- Establish joint technical and interoperability standards, including Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) and Open Mission Systems/Universal Command and Control Interface (OMS/UCI) requirements.
- Coordinate Department-wide budgeting and program priorities for unmanned systems.
- Oversee testing, evaluation, and production readiness decisions.
- Consolidate governance of Department-wide unmanned systems marketplaces.
- Direct the use of streamlined acquisition mechanisms, including Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) and Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs), where appropriate.
Focus on Domestic Manufacturing and Industrial Capacity
The Department’s announcement ties the organizational change to broader efforts to expand domestic drone manufacturing.
According to the Department, previous executive actions directed the military to procure and train with “low-cost, high-performing drones manufactured in the United States” while strengthening the domestic drone industrial base.
The memorandum also assigns responsibility for supply chain resiliency and industrial base due diligence to the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, working with the Office of the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering and the Department’s Chief Information Officer to strengthen cybersecurity and harden supply chains against infiltration.
Implementation Begins Immediately
The memorandum establishes an aggressive implementation schedule following appointment of the new portfolio manager.
Within 30 days of appointment, the DRPM-UxS is directed to begin staffing key management, contracting, legal, communications, information technology, and security functions. Within 90 days, the office must define the Department’s unmanned systems program baseline and submit a comprehensive implementation plan addressing execution of its new authorities, coordination with Combatant Commands, and industrial base strategy. The office will then provide monthly portfolio updates to the Deputy Secretary of War and quarterly in-person briefings on program status, production milestones, and operational testing.
What It Means
For the defense drone industry, the creation of the DRPM-UxS represents one of the most significant organizational changes to the Department’s unmanned systems enterprise in recent years.
While the announcement does not create new procurement programs or appropriate additional funding, it centralizes oversight of acquisition, technical standards, budgeting, logistics, and commercial engagement under a single office reporting directly to the Deputy Secretary of War. That consolidation could streamline coordination across the military departments while providing industry with a more unified framework for future unmanned systems initiatives.
The move also reinforces the Department’s continued emphasis on accelerating the deployment of autonomous systems and strengthening the domestic industrial base as unmanned technologies assume a larger role in U.S. military operations.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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