The nature of warfare is undergoing a profound transformation. No longer defined by attritional battlefields or purely kinetic engagements, today’s conflicts are shaped by rapid tempo, dispersed theaters, and a growing reliance on autonomous systems—ushering in a nonlinear, technology-driven era of operations for defense.
For centuries, military power has been understood through five domains: land, sea, air, space, and—most recently—cyber, which emerged as a defining frontier in the last two decades. Now, the accelerating adoption of autonomous systems demands recognition of a Sixth Domain: autonomy.
The rise of autonomy for defense is forcing a fundamental reimagining of the innovation landscape. Opportunities are emerging across government, industry, and academia to develop solutions that break from traditional models of procurement, integration, and sustainment. Within this new domain, autonomy is not just an additive capability for defense —it is a force multiplier. It changes the calculus for legacy systems by enabling strategies that are faster, cheaper, and more adaptive than ever before.
Critically, these capabilities are no longer theoretical. They are being embraced at scale by leading defense organizations. For example, the U.S. Coast Guard recently established a Program Executive Office for Robotics and Autonomous Systems to accelerate the development, acquisition, and sustainment of platforms such as counter-UAS and other unmanned technologies. This initiative provides dedicated advocacy for resources and reflects the recognition that autonomy represents a technological revolution with far-reaching mission impact.
At the same time, autonomy is sparking a cascade of supporting innovation. The full potential of autonomous systems for defense depends on robust infrastructure: networks of sensors, edge computing platforms, interoperable data architectures, and resilient command-and-control ecosystems. Each of these building blocks is evolving rapidly, with momentum across the ecosystem to ensure autonomy can operate seamlessly—and safely—at scale.
In this report, we explore how autonomy is reshaping the defense technology sector and what that means for innovators, investors, and partners. NightDragon has already made four strategic investments in this space—Epirus, HawkEye360, Horizon3.ai and Saronic—but we believe the horizon of opportunity stretches far wider. As the Sixth Domain comes into focus, it will define the next era of defense innovation and create an enduring market for those positioned to lead.
About the Author
