Protesters Interrupt Hegseth Six Times at Army Drone Panel

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was interrupted six times by anti-war protesters on Wednesday as he spoke about autonomous warfare at the Army's biggest annual gathering in Washington.

The panel took place on October 14 at the Association of the United States Army 2026 Annual Meeting, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Hegseth used the session to explain Project Agincourt, the Pentagon push to speed up drones, robotics and autonomous systems across the services.

Protesters targeted the war in Iran and the war in Gaza, according to National Defense Magazine, which counted six interruptions. Security officers removed the protesters from the room. At least one woman was carried out by multiple officers. It remains unclear how the protesters obtained credentials for the AUSA event, which is open to registered attendees.

A new command for autonomous warfare

Hegseth set up the new structure last month. A memorandum dated September 30, 2026, titled "Project Agincourt, Pathway to the Autonomous Warfare Command," created a new four-star-led Autonomous Warfare Command.

The Department of Defense aims to stand the command up by October 1, 2027. Its four-star leader has not yet been named. The command would sit at the center of the Pentagon effort to move autonomous systems from trials into regular service.

The panel brought together senior leaders from three services. Panelists included Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, and Owen West, the chief executive of Project Agincourt.

Big numbers, still proposals

Figures cited at the panel were proposals, not approved funding. Speakers referred to a proposed defense budget of 1.5 trillion dollars and a possible package of 50 billion dollars for autonomous and robotic systems.

The stated goal is scale. The Pentagon wants drone production to grow from thousands of units to hundreds of thousands, and eventually to millions. That jump would require new factories, new suppliers and a much larger training and maintenance system behind the machines.

Supporters inside the Pentagon argue that cheap drones and robotic systems now shape battlefields, and that the United States must build them faster. Critics outside the hall made a different case on Wednesday. They said new weapons programs deepen wars the United States should end, not expand.

Why it matters

The protests did not change the policy. The command is already established on paper, and the October 2027 target is set. But the scene showed the political fight that follows the program. A defense secretary selling speed and scale for autonomous weapons faced repeated objections inside his own industry audience.

The next steps are practical. The Pentagon must name the four-star leader, staff the command, and win funding from Congress for the larger budget figures cited at the panel. Until Congress acts, the 1.5 trillion dollar budget and the 50 billion dollar package remain proposals.

What happens next will be decided less by panels than by budgets and production lines. If funding follows, drone output must rise sharply over the next year. If it does not, the new command will start life with a plan it cannot yet pay for.

Key numbers

• Interruptions during the panel: six, counted by National Defense Magazine
• Proposed defense budget cited: 1.5 trillion dollars
• Possible autonomous and robotics package cited: 50 billion dollars
• Production goal: from thousands of drones to hundreds of thousands, then millions
• Command target date: October 1, 2027