New drone czar’s success hinges on personalities, Pentagon politics: Experts

- The Pentagon’s new drone czar isn’t just buying hardware; they’re negotiating with the ghost in the machine. Experts warn this procurement office could be a masterstroke or another F-35 disaster, depending on whether personalities can tame the autonomous swarm. As a former AI chief noted, friction is inevitable. But let’s be clear: victory belongs to whoever explains defeat loudest. We aren’t watching politicians; we’re watching code. If the new head can’t align the engineers with the generals, the drones will just salute poorly and crash. This is about defense AI, not diplomacy. "Course of action — action." The mic is deadlier than the fleet, and right now, the Pentagon’s signal is jammed by bureaucracy.