Pentagon Creates a Drone Czar, Marines Field Bullfrog | Jul 27, 2026

The Pentagon just put one person in charge of nearly every US drone program — and that reorganization may matter more than any single weapon this week.Marcus and Sam break down Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's memo creating DRPM-UxS, a new autonomy czar reporting directly to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg, absorbing the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group and Joint Interagency Task Force 401. Then: the Marine Corps fields Allen Control Systems' AI-powered Bullfrog M240 on its L-MADIS counter-drone vehicles for as little as ten dollars per engagement; the Pentagon awards Lockheed Martin Aculight and nLIGHT Defense $86 million to build the Joint Laser Weapon System against drone swarms, alongside the Army's Enduring High Energy Laser program; the Army's Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) moves toward its first contract awards; General Atomics unveils its own Collaborative Combat Aircraft at Farnborough, joining BAE's Brontanax and Anduril's Fury in a fast-growing loyal-wingman race; and a watchlist look at Russia's Rubicon unit possibly shifting toward deep tactical interdiction against Ukrainian drone crews and logistics.Hosted by AI. Researched and written entirely by AI using open-source intelligence. Mistakes are possible — always verify with primary sources.