National Security

Pentagon Surging Production of Thousands of Drones to Counter China

The Defense Department will use the Replicator Initiative to field thousands of autonomous systems across multiple domains to compete with China’s military.
Pentagon Surging Production of Thousands of Drones to Counter China
A U.S.-made Reaper drone, part of Operation Barkhane's aerial detachment, flies over the Nigerian military airport Diori Hamani in Niamey on Jan. 2, 2015. Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
Andrew Thornebrooke
Andrew Thornebrooke
National Security Correspondent
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The Pentagon is stepping up the production of thousands of autonomous systems to compete with China’s military, which outnumbers the United States in personnel, ships, artillery, and land-based missiles.

The project, known as the Replicator Initiative, was announced by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks at a conference of the National Defense Industrial Association on Aug. 28.

Andrew Thornebrooke
Andrew Thornebrooke
National Security Correspondent
Andrew Thornebrooke is a national security correspondent for The Epoch Times covering China-related issues with a focus on defense, military affairs, and national security. He holds a master's in military history from Norwich University.
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