Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Arlington, Virginia, Nov. 14 — just a short drive from the Pentagon.

DARPA and industry experts put the secretary in front of two large television screens: one showing a live feed of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter sitting on a runway more than 250 miles away in Stratford, Connecticut, and the other, a touch screen, displaying a map and controls for the helicopter. 

The Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System, developed by DARPA and a commercial partner, allowed the secretary to plot a flight path and parameters for the helicopter and fly it remotely. It will eventually enable non-pilots to fly similarly equipped aviation platforms, both rotary and fixed-wing, without having to be on board or attend flight school. 

The ALIAS system is just one of hundreds of advanced technology projects DARPA is spearheading now to deliver breakthrough technologies to the department and the warfighter, strengthening national security.

After meeting with DARPA Director Stephen Winchell and program managers to learn how programs underway are aligned with his priorities for the department, including restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and re-establishing deterrence, Hegseth said he was impressed with what he saw. 

“This kind of stuff is the heart of our advantage,” Hegseth said. “The best and brightest … come here and choose to serve their country, and just push the envelope … to solve big problems. They give the boss more options — that’s the idea: more options that hopefully keep us out of conflict, deter our adversaries and keep the American people safe. And what I saw today was the bleeding edge of new options and of new capabilities.” 

The secretary thanked both the DARPA director and the program managers who briefed him on the status and capabilities of ongoing projects for bringing the best and most sophisticated capabilities to warfighters.

“As a taxpayer, as a citizen, as an American, I’m grateful that such an institution exists; that patriotic men and women sign up to do it, to solve hard problems and apply the amazing ingenuity that America does better than anybody else,” he said. 

The secretary added that one of the roles of his office in the Pentagon, and the role of Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, is to ensure agencies like DARPA always have the necessary resources to provide warfighters with the advanced tools they need to fight and win wars. 

“Whatever we can do for you, we’re going to keep doing … we serve you, and we open the aperture for you,” he said. 

Source: U.S. Department of War, November 2025