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Pentagon Develops 25 New Classified Weapons in Secretive Program to Counter China

Sputnik News

20250913

The Pentagon has allocated more than $10.8B to develop 25 new classified weapons under a secretive program known as SHOTCALLER, which aims to build rapid and overwhelming long-range strike capabilities to counter China under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a Sputnik correspondent's analysis of the Pentagon's budget reports revealed.

In the Pentagon's Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, funding for the Advanced Innovative Technologies (AIT) program, which forms the largest component of the SHOTCALLER initiative, totaled $1.16 billion, supporting continued development of the 25 classified weapon prototypes. Prior years had already accounted for more than $9.6 billion in spending, with the program spanning numerous projects of varying scales.

Managed by the Strategic Capabilities Office, a rapid innovation unit under the Pentagon's top leadership, SHOTCALLER oversees multiple efforts to enhance long-range strike capabilities. The AIT component, in particular, allows the Pentagon to bypass traditional acquisition channels and rapidly test prototypes across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force. Its focus is on building a seamless "kill chain," integrating long-range fires, space-based moving target data, and joint-service operations to ensure US forces can deliver rapid and overwhelming strikes in a future conflict.

The projects carry evocative codenames such as Asgard, Bedlam, Black Marlin, Epic, Lazarus, Oculus Prime, Pele, and Rolling Dice, among others. A significant portion of the budget is simply listed as "Classified Projects."

Some programs, like Hurt Locker, Pele, and HGWS, have already attracted hundreds of millions in prior-year funding, while newer initiatives such as Lazarus, Legend, and Oculus Prime appear to be ramping up in FY 2026. The Pentagon says these efforts are meant to overcome shortfalls identified in previous warfighting experiments and prepare US forces for high-end conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

© Sputnik