AUVSI Applauds Secretary of War Hegseth’s Arsenal of Freedom Speech

November 7, 2025

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) strongly supports the Department of War’s (DoW) bold transformation of the Defense Acquisition System (DAS) into the new Warfighting Acquisition System (WAS) and the launch of the Wartime Production Unit as announced today by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

“AUVSI applauds Secretary of War Hegseth’s decisive move towards restoring deterrence, reindustrializing America’s arsenal of democracy and freedom, and ensuring warfighters receive the advanced technologies they need, when they need them,” said Michael Robbins, President & CEO of AUVSI.

The DoW shift reflects many of the reforms AUVSI has consistently advocated for—streamlined acquisition, reduced bureaucracy, innovation-friendly procurement, allowing for more calculated acquisition risk to decrease operational risk—and aligns directly with our prior testimony to Congress on the importance of enabling agile deployment of uncrewed and autonomous systems. These same themes were central to discussions among defense leaders and industry experts at last week’s AUVSI Defense conference, where accelerating acquisition and strengthening the industrial base were key topics.

AUVSI supports the Department’s commitment to reducing bureaucratic barriers and empowering accountable decision-making. The emphasis on speed, flexibility, and continuous modernization mirrors the priorities we have long championed on behalf of the uncrewed systems, autonomy, and robotics industry, including endorsement of the FORGED Act. These capabilities are essential to maintaining operational advantage across all domains and ensuring U.S. forces can outpace emerging threats.

AUVSI is particularly encouraged by the recognition that acquisition itself is a warfighting function. This is a critical cultural and structural shift. By streamlining processes, strengthening incentives for innovation, and giving industry faster, more predictable pathways to production, the Department is sending a powerful signal: agility and speed are now the metrics of success.

“Transforming the defense acquisition system is both timely and essential,” said Robbins. “By prioritizing speed, adaptability, and accountability, the Department will unleash innovation across the defense industrial base. AUVSI and our members stand ready to accelerate the adoption of uncrewed and autonomous systems to help keep our warfighters safe and sustain America’s technological edge.”

AUVSI and its members share the Department’s vision for a modernized acquisition system along with White House Executive Orders including Modernizing Defense Acquisition and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base, Unleashing American Drone Dominance, Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty, and Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability. Together, we can build a more resilient, responsive, and innovative defense ecosystem that strengthens our supply chains, delivers decisive advantages to the warfighter, and reinforces American deterrence worldwide.

About AUVSI:
The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of uncrewed systems, autonomy, and robotics. AUVSI represents corporations and professionals from more than 60 countries involved in industry, government, and academia.