Autonomy in motion: How US, Canada are advancing military autonomous systems - analysis

Across the US, Silicon Valley firms like Anduril and Palantir now lead autonomous warfare innovation, challenging legacy contractors with software‑defined platforms and agile manufacturing models.

Palantir recently secured a landmark $178 million mobile command contract, while Anduril is scaling swarms, smart sensors, and battlefield architecture designed to outpace Chinese capabilities

Projects like Pentagon’s "Thunderforge" program harness generative and operational AI to support commanders across regions, though human authority is retained over weapons decisions.

Meanwhile, the Marine Corps calls its robotic-truck and autonomous vehicle initiatives “leading the way” in battlefield autonomy but remains cautious due to vulnerabilities: expensive robotic combat vehicles (RCVs) are threatened by low-cost drone attacks, prompting re-scoped acquisition strategies.

In addition, domestic law enforcement has also been moving quickly with Drone as First Responder programs with companies like Skydio and others leading the way. Law enforcement entities have seen the huge return on investment with the DFR venture, and budgets are increasingly available for these efforts.

Corporate partnerships are accelerating capability delivery. Red 6 and Northrop Grumman’s Beacon program, for instance, integrates augmented reality and autonomous mission capabilities into pilot training systems, a tangible step toward mixed human-machine operations.

Beyond the tradeshow floor, Ottawa is deploying autonomy in domestic security contexts.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police now operationalize fixed‑wing and rotary drones to reinforce border surveillance: remote sensing, mission planning, and ISR integration extend beyond conventional patrol, a construct that aligns Canada with broader North American strategies under increasing asymmetric pressure, particularly with security concerns in the Arctic.

Premier among Canada’s strategic engagements this year was the July 21 meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and King Abdullah II of Jordan. Ottawa announced $8 million toward enhanced border infrastructure and security along the Jordan–Syria frontier, including 17 km of secured road to deter terrorism and transnational crime.

While not explicitly autonomous, the funding marks a Canadian commitment to systems-based border resilience. Given Jordan’s increasing interest in UAV and ISR technology, this move lays groundwork for Canadian technology exports or coordinated autonomy-driven security initiatives in a volatile region.

Canada’s pursuit of unmanned aerial systems touches on three critical capability domains:

Supporting Arctic awareness and border monitoring, Canada increasingly relies on fixed‑wing drones and rotary UAVs to detect illegal cross‑border movement, support search-and-rescue, and project sovereign situational awareness.

Urban and sensitive-border infrastructure require layered countermeasures. While Canada lacks direct equivalents to systems like Israel’s Iron Dome, Canadian defense firms are collaborating with NATO allies and exploring UAV intercept and radar fusion countermeasures with influence likely drawn from NATO doctrine and tech allies.

Intelligence-driven autonomy requires secure, resilient cyber infrastructure. Canada has expanded cybersecurity cooperation with partners; the Jordan aid is a reminder that border surveillance systems abroad are deeply dependent on trusted, integrated networks and software-defined platforms.

The US effort attracts private-sector innovation at scale and Canada observes closely. Textron Systems and others are building prototype robotic combat vehicles, while software-centric primes refine command automation. Defense One reports that the US is now creating platforms to address decisive autonomy engagement timelines measured in days, not months.

The backdrop is a geopolitical one: Russia and China are fielding unmanned swarms, space-based ISR, and hypersonic systems. The US military recognizes that its ad-hoc, legacy force structure is ill-suited to a new era, and is increasingly partnering with new entrants to co-develop autonomous, human-machine team architectures.

The US is racing full speed toward autonomous military innovation, driven by Silicon Valley dynamics and battlefield lessons from Ukraine. Canada, with a slower tempo but defined strategic intention, is deploying autonomy in domain awareness, border infrastructure, and AI-enabled dual-use sectors. Ottawa’s investment in Jordan and DND’s engagement with Canadian UAV innovators reveals a deliberate pivot to exportable sovereign capability.

But the challenge remains: Can North America institutionalize autonomy with oversight, ethics, and affordability intact?

Systems like the US Thunderforge project and Canadian drone acquisitions must avoid stove-piped delivery and replicate the broken procurement that autonomy seeks to fix.

Autonomous tools must retain human control over lethal decisions. The US policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) still mandates human-in-control over target engagement.

The US Army’s recalibration of expensive robotic combat vehicles reflects concerns that autonomy may become cost-prohibitive when simple drone arrays can achieve effects.

Increased Canada–Jordan funding, along with domestic UAV missions, require accountability to ensure software-driven border surveillance upholds privacy and proportionality standards.

Canada and the US now stand at different inflection points on the same trajectory: a shift to autonomy, software-led innovation, and systems that speak to national sovereignty.

Ultimately, success hinges not on hardware alone, but on institutional discipline. If both nations can embed ethical frameworks, rigorous oversight, and intergovernmental coordination into their autonomous systems strategies, they may position themselves as the architects, not the victims, of a new era of kinetic and digital deterrence.