U.S. Special Operations Command is looking to build a new testing ground for drones in Mississippi as the Pentagon grapples with ever-evolving autonomous technology that has come to define modern warfare.
The project would expand existing test ranges at NASA’s Stennis Space Center to facilitate air, sea and ground-based drones, according to a notice posted this month. The effort reflects how wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have forced the U.S. military to hone in on how emerging autonomous technology will shape future fights.
The solicitation calls for industry, academic and national laboratories to build what the notice calls an “Autonomous Warfare Proving Ground,” that includes electromagnetic capabilities and could eventually prepare the military for operations stretching from “seabed to low earth orbit.”
Located near the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Stennis Space Center already supports rocket testing and military research thanks to a large restricted airspace, access to waterways and relative isolation.
The announcement comes amid growing concern that the U.S. military is not moving fast enough to keep pace with the innovation driving autonomous warfare. The Pentagon has also admitted that gaps in counter-drone technology have left troops vulnerable during the U.S.’s war with Iran, where Iran’s attritable, low-cost unmanned systems have attacked soldiers, equipment and military infrastructure.
The notice tied the effort to a broader Pentagon push to accelerate drone development and fielding, citing the “US Drone Dominance Memo,” where it says the command “was specifically called upon to path find and shepherd the development of technologies that will not only ensure US military advantage but also confirm our allies and partners are able to learn together.”
In July 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum to expand the country’s drone industry and streamline the acquisition process. The statement built off of the Trump administration’s executive order titled “Unleashing American Drone Dominance,” which mandated that the Defense Department “procure, integrate, and train using low-cost, high-performing drones manufactured in the United States.”
SOCOM and the defense innovation group SOFWERX will host a collaboration event in July for military officials, companies and researchers to collaborate, according to the announcement, which added that select participants could later compete for prototype and production agreements.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.
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