Pentagon's Replicator Drone Program Lives On as DAWG
Pentagon Officials Confirm Replicator Lives On as DAWG, Targeting Larger Attack Drones
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon’s ambitious Replicator drone initiative, which faced an uncertain future under the new administration, remains very much alive—though reorganized and refocused under a new organizational structure. Senior defense officials confirmed the program’s continuation at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California this week, revealing that Replicator now operates as the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) with an explicit emphasis on larger, one-way attack drones.
“It’s alive. It’s alive,” Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of Indo-Pacific Command, declared at the forum, dispelling questions about the initiative’s fate. “The deputy secretary of defense has focused it in an autonomous warfighting group, and it is very much alive.”
The original Replicator program, launched by Biden-era Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, aimed to acquire thousands of low-cost, “attritable” drones—expendable systems designed for high-risk missions—particularly for operations in the Pacific theater within a two-year timeframe. However, the ambitious effort encountered congressional skepticism and faced questions about its strategic direction amid competing drone initiatives announced by the Trump administration.
Under its new DAWG designation, the program has evolved strategically. Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer and Under Secretary for Research & Engineering, clarified that DAWG specifically targets larger drone systems, while a parallel “Drone Dominance” initiative championed by Defense Secretary Hegseth emphasizes smaller, more tactical systems like First-Person View (FPV) drones used extensively in Ukraine.
“We have embarked on a Drone Dominance initiative for smaller drones,” Michael explained. “What we’re working on with Adm. Paparo and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group is larger drones, one-way attack drones. We have to be dominant in both.”
This dual-track approach reflects lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where both small tactical drones and larger systems play critical roles. The vast geography of potential Pacific contingencies, officials note, necessitates longer-range and therefore larger platforms compared to the closer-range conflicts in Europe.
Michael also emphasized a third critical imperative: counter-drone defense systems for homeland protection and high-profile events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Beyond nomenclature changes, DAWG represents a conceptual evolution in Pentagon strategy. Rather than pursuing absolute air and maritime dominance—the post-Cold War paradigm—the U.S. military increasingly embraces a “denial” strategy. As Paparo articulated, defending Taiwan or Ukraine doesn’t require conquering Beijing or Moscow; it requires making aggression prohibitively costly.
“The commoditization of drones has made assault more costly,” Paparo stated. “Having the kind of capability that can be quickly deployed in that space and make assault cost-prohibitive will inherently benefit a denial defense.”
This strategic reorientation leverages Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) concepts—previously viewed as barriers to U.S. operations—as tools for protecting allied nations. It reflects a fundamental recognition that advanced, proliferated drone technologies favor defenders over aggressors when properly organized.
Despite rebranding and reorganization, DAWG maintains Replicator’s core mission: developing and fielding autonomous systems that shift the calculus of military aggression in the Indo-Pacific. Through simulations and secure live exercises, Pentagon officials are stress-testing capabilities to ensure they can deny adversaries their strategic objectives.
Source ID: SRCE-2025-1765062286242-1219