The following is a memorandum from U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III
The Department of Defense (DoD) has learned important lessons from its Replicator effort. Foremost is that concentrated and sustained senior leader attention - across the breadth of policy, concept, and system development, integration, and sustainment efforts - can get needed capability into the hands of our warfighters faster. In Replicator 1, we focused our aim on attritable autonomy, and we are on track with the Initiative 's fielding plan for next summer. This work has, in turn, helped ignite our efforts to scale autonomous systems across the force more generally.
The Department has been clear about applying Replicator's focus to other capability areas, and the Department has been working for several months to assess validated joint capability gaps to determine where the Replicator process can provide the greatest value against our most urgent needs.
As a result of that assessment, I have determined that Replicator 2 will tackle the warfighter priority of countering the threat posed by small uncrewed aerial systems (C-sUAS) to our most critical installations and force concentrations. I am confident the Replicator Initiative will complement and advance the significant C-sUAS work already underway in the DoD. The expectation is that Replicator 2 will assist with overcoming challenges we face in the areas of production capacity, technology innovation, authorities, policies, open system architecture and system integration, and force structure.
I direct the Deputy Secretary of Defense and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, working with Component heads through the Deputy's Innovation Steering Group, to oversee the development of a Replicator 2 plan to be proposed to Congress in the FY2026 President's Budget Request. My expectation is that Replicator 2 will deliver meaningfully improved C-sUAS protection to critical assets within 24 months of Congress approving funding. The Director of the Defense Innovation Unit, as the Chair of the Defense Innovation Working Group, will serve as the Office of Primary Responsibility for Replicator 2, working in collaboration with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, who serves as 'the Department's C-sUAS Principal Staff Assistant. The Military Departments are largely responsible for the development, production, and fielding of capabilities related to the Replicator 2 effort. The Replicator 2 Initiative will leverage the work of the Counter Uncrewed Systems Warfighter Senior Integration Group, and collaborate closely with other ongoing efforts.
I look forward to working with Congress to advance the warfighting imperative of force protection through Replicator 2.
- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III