Innovating for Today’s Challenges

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) is transforming its force structure to meet the demands of the 2026 National Defense Strategy and defend the homeland at range, speed, and scale.

An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) assigned to the “Shadow Det” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28, Detachment 7, takes off from the flight deck of the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15), Jan. 7, 2022. 

Key initiatives include: 

• SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command. SOUTHCOM is establishing the SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC) to support the U.S. President’s National Security Strategy priorities, U.S. Secretary of War’s National Defense Strategy lines of effort, SOUTHCOM imperatives, regional security cooperation, and operational dominance. Once fully established, the new command will be dedicated to employing autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms and systems to counter threats and challenges across domains, linking tactical missions to long-term strategic effects. The command will also collaborate closely with Allies and partners in the region to advance shared goals, such as disrupting and degrading narcoterrorist and cartel networks, and responding to life-threatening crises caused by large-scale natural disasters.   

• Streamlining command and control structures for rapid, integrated responses across geographic boundaries. 

• Investing in logistics, sustainment, and readiness to ensure forces are mission-capable and able to project power where needed. 

• Collaborating with the U.S. defense industrial base and partner nations to field advanced systems and capabilities at scale and at lower cost. 

Our approach ensures that SOUTHCOM remains agile, innovative, and ready to address evolving threats in the hemisphere while maximizing the return on every defense dollar.