The U.S. military is launching a new autonomous warfare command to deploy cutting-edge unmanned systems across Latin America, marking a first-of-its-kind move by a combatant command.

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) commander Gen. Francis Donovan said Tuesday he ordered the creation of the SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command to support national security priorities and regional efforts.

“From the seafloor to space and across the cyber domain, we fully intend to leverage the clear superiority of the American defense ecosystem by deploying cutting-edge innovation and working ever closer with our enduring partners in the region to outmatch those who threaten our collective peace and security,” Donovan said in a statement.

According to SOUTHCOM, the new command will employ “autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms and systems to counter threats and challenges across domains, linking tactical missions to long-term strategic effects.”

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SAWC will also work with U.S. allies in the region and advance missions including targeting narcoterrorist and cartel networks and responding to large-scale natural disasters.

Donovan said the region is well-suited for innovation and collaboration with partners.

“Our geographic area of responsibility has a wide range of conditions, varied terrain, and diverse operational environments that make it an ideal setting in which to innovate. It is also a region with very capable and committed security partners who lean forward, embrace technologies and are very eager to work collaboratively with us to support regional stability in new and effective ways,” he said.

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SOUTHCOM is responsible for military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean, including counter-narcotics missions aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks that threaten U.S. interests.

The U.S. military has carried out dozens of strikes in recent months on suspected drug-smuggling vessels as part of a broader campaign to dismantle cartel-linked trafficking operations.

In a written posture statement to Congress earlier this year, Donovan said he aimed to leverage emerging technologies, telling lawmakers he intended “to capitalize on next generation capabilities like unmanned platforms, AI integration, and commercial tools to better enable us and our partners to counter … threats together.”

In March, Donovan told an Armed Services Committee member he aimed to build cost-effective, modernized forces for SOUTHCOM’s mission, including autonomous systems and human-machine teaming, “to greatly increase lethality, all-domain awareness, and data sharing for U.S. and partner forces.”

SOUTHCOM said it will work with the military services and the War Department’s Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) to identify capabilities needed for the new command to begin operations and integrate into its mission.

Federal immigration officials issued a detainer for a Mexican national accused of sexually assaulting a minor in South Carolina after the victim was found giving birth in a hospital parking lot.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for Luis Armando Argueta Montejo, who is accused of having sexual intercourse with a female minor believed to be between the ages of 11 and 14.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Montejo was arrested days after the minor was found giving birth in the parking lot of Oconee Memorial Hospital in South Carolina.

Evidence collected by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office indicated that Montejo had sexual intercourse with the victim, according to DHS.

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The 43-year-old was charged with incest and three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a child, DHS said.

“This sicko should NEVER have been in our country to prey on children in the first place,” Acting Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “He now faces charges for incest and multiple child sex crimes.”

Montejo told ICE he first entered the U.S. in 2006 and does not have a prior criminal record, according to officials.

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ICE lodged a detainer on April 17 to ensure he is transferred to federal custody after local proceedings conclude.

“Prior to these horrific crimes, this illegal alien lacked a criminal record in the U.S.,” Bis said. “Under Secretary Mullin, ICE lodged an arrest detainer with South Carolina to ensure this monster is never loose in our communities again.”

Bis said the case underscores the need for coordination between federal and local authorities.

“Thankfully, South Carolina cooperates with ICE law enforcement,” Bis added. “This is why we need cooperation from state and local partners, so together we can keep criminals off our streets and make America safe again.”

Remarkably, the 2026 college football season will be the fifth year for Lincoln Riley as head coach of the USC Trojans. 

When Riley came over from Oklahoma, he brought an exceptional resume. Over five seasons in Norman, he put up a 55-10 record, coached two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks and won four consecutive Big 12 Conference titles. 

He had three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, though never advanced to the National Championship game. Thanks in large part to a heartbreaking loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2018 Rose Bowl. And therein lies the one thing missing from Riley’s list of accomplishments: a championship. 

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While Oklahoma is a storied program in its own right, the move to USC brought with it championship-level expectations. Matching his high-octane offense with SC’s recruiting prowess and location in Southern California was supposed to get the Trojans back to the top of the college football world.

Well, SC has not returned to the top of the college football world. Which is why it’s so surprising that Lincoln Riley is telling the media he expects the program to be entering a “championship window.”

In a new interview with On3’s Wilson Alexander, Riley said he believes that it’s been “a lot of work” to get there, but they’ve now gotten “this window opened.” 

“USC had to get really serious about being great in the sport again,” he explained. “
I give the school administration, everybody, credit. They have.”

“Taking this over, you knew you had to go fight like hell just to try to get this window opened,” Riley said. “And we’re at a point right now where there’s a lot to be excited about and a lot in front of us. It’s been a lot of work for a lot of people, a lot of commitment from a lot of people to get there, and it should be a lot of fun these next few years.”

“We came here to win championships,” he continued. “
A lot of us have been fortunate enough to be a part of a lot of championships. We certainly didn’t come here for anything less. We’ve got to go buckle down and improve and really come together, but there’s the makings of a championship-level football team in that building right now.”

Riley’s critics would point to several examples of head coaches taking over programs and immediately turning them around. Curt Cignetti at Indiana, for example, went 16-0 and won a title in his second season. Kenny Dillingham took ASU to the playoff in his second year in Phoenix.

Those situations, though, do have some differences with Riley’s time at SC. Indiana had significant financial backing to bring in a top transfer portal class, and Dillingham had the advantage of a “weaker” Big 12 Conference relative to the Big Ten or the Pac-12. SC fell behind quickly in the NIL era, only recently putting its financial muscle into recruiting and signing top classes. 

Realistically, though, with a tough schedule, and the vaunted 2026 recruiting class needing time to develop, 2027 might be a better opportunity for SC to really compete for a title. But given the disappointing results in 2023 and 2024, Riley might need to win nine to 10 games to even get there.