Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Wednesday at the U.S. Army's annual conference in Washington, where he discussed autonomous weapons programs despite repeated interruptions by protesters. The panel continued as protesters were removed individually, PBS NewsHour reported.
Hegseth said the United States would deploy “hundreds of thousands” of one-way attack systems in 2026, according to the Washington Examiner. He also said the administration had inherited no such programs from the Biden administration. The discussion included opening more military contracts to smaller businesses developing drones, PBS reported. The Hill said Hegseth called on Congress to approve a large defense budget and defended a 20 percent reduction in Pentagon general officers.
PBS reported that six protesters shouted about the war with Iran and a proposed $1.5 trillion military budget for next year. Some audience members responded with chants of “USA, USA,” while the speakers continued.