[U.S. Defense Secretary Announces Formation of 'Autonomous Operations Command'] According to a report by Jinse Finance, on October 1, U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth announced on September 30 the formation of the 'Autonomous Operations Command' to enhance the U.S. military's capabilities in large-scale autonomous and robotic warfare. Hegseth made the announcement during a speech at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, stating that this will be a new four-star joint operations command. The jurisdiction of this command will encompass drones, artificial intelligence, and command and control systems. According to *The Wall Street Journal*, this initiative aims to "fundamentally reform the Pentagon's approach to procuring, testing, and deploying drones and other cutting-edge technologies." The report also noted that the Pentagon is seeking to double its spending in the field of autonomous operations and has proposed a budget request of $74 billion for drone and counter-drone technologies. (Xinhua News Agency)