Pentagon may ‘sacrifice’ traditional weapons to buy more drones if reconciliation fails: CTO
"We just make other trade-offs, like against exquisite weapons and systems: How much of those are we willing to sacrifice in place of low-cost autonomous weapons," Emil Michael said.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on June 12, 2026 3:28 pm
Share
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (left) and Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering Emil Michael (right) speak in front of a Kratos XQ-58 "Valkyrie" combat drone during a "Drone Day" exhibition at the Pentagon, July 16, 2025. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
WASHINGTON — If Congress does not pass $350 billion in funding through the reconciliation process, the Pentagon will consider cutting expensive traditional weapon systems in order to protect drones, the department’s top technologist warned Friday.
Emil Michael, who is both the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, as well as the Pentagon’s CTO, indicated in comments at the Hudson Institute think tank that the building was prepared to protect its focus on buying large numbers of low-cost, high-tech systems if the reconciliation funding does not come through.
“If we’re forced into that position, we just make other trade-offs, like against exquisite weapons and systems: How much of those are we willing to sacrifice in place of low-cost autonomous weapons?” Michael said. “It’s just like balancing any budget and any portfolio.”
The $350 billion package includes “a big chunk for autonomous systems, whether it be Saronic-like systems, mine-detection systems, drones, so on,” he said. “We just won’t be able to buy as much or move as fast” on what Michael has termed the “AI arsenal.“
https://breakingdefense.com/2026/06/pentagon-may-sacrifice-traditional-weapons-to-buy-more-drones-if-reconciliation-fails-cto/
