
SAN DIEGO – While Defense Department leadership chose the first tranche of vehicles for what the Defense Innovation Unit is calling Replicator 1, officials also outlined next steps and why they are being so secretive about the specific platforms. Last August, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks gave DIU 18 to 24 months to find mature attritable autonomous systems to counter China’s military build-up, to be built in the thousands (Defense Daily, Aug. 28, 2023). Hicks oversees the project with Vice…