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24 Apr 25. Defense Officials Outline AI’s Strategic Role in National Security. Yesterday, senior Defense Department officials and experts from industry partners and throughout the government gathered in Washington to discuss the future of artificial intelligence, highlighting how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push for innovation, lethality and readiness is shaping the department’s approach to AI.
The “AI in the New Administration: Agency Priorities” panel brought together Bianca Herlory, the Joint Staff AI lead, Wallace Coggins, the chief data and AI officer from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, and Ann Dunkin, former chief information officer at the Energy Department. Their insights clarified how the Defense Department aims to leverage AI to maintain military superiority and ensure national security.
Herlory emphasized that AI is increasingly central to DOD efforts toward digital modernization. She underscored that as threats evolve, the Joint Staff is integrating AI-driven technologies into daily military operations to enhance commanders’ decision-making and responsiveness.
“AI is not entirely new, but advancements in computing power and big data are transforming how we think about processes — not just acquisition, but our daily operations,” Herlory explained. She noted that early experimentation, practical deployment of AI capabilities, and training and education programs are essential to responsibly integrate AI into military operations.
Earlier in the day, Hegseth set the tone for these efforts during his speech at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he emphasized lethality, accountability and meritocracy over social engineering and bureaucracy. Consistent with this vision, the Defense Department is moving forward with AI implementations aimed at bolstering combat effectiveness and operational efficiency.
Coggins stressed that AI plays a crucial role in safeguarding the military and its industrial base against espionage and data breaches. He said adversaries continually target sensitive technologies, personnel and critical infrastructure.
“Our adversaries are aggressively seeking to undermine our defense industrial base,” Coggins said, highlighting recent efforts at DCSA to consolidate data and leverage AI-driven analytics to protect sensitive information. He described ongoing information technology modernization initiatives designed to break down data silos and create secure, integrated environments where data can be efficiently harnessed for national security.
“We perform about 10,000 background investigations daily,” Coggins said. “AI can greatly streamline this process, making investigators’ efforts more focused and effective by automating routine tasks and quickly aggregating crucial data.”
Ann Dunkin, sharing experiences from her tenure at the Energy Department, reinforced that AI’s value extends beyond immediate operational efficiencies to broader strategic imperatives, including cybersecurity and nonproliferation.
“AI holds great potential to counter threats across all sectors,” Dunkin explained, emphasizing DOE’s past initiatives to deploy AI for protecting America’s critical energy infrastructure from cyberthreats. She noted adversaries’ increased use of AI in sophisticated cyberattacks and argued for an aggressive AI-enabled defense posture.
Her comments align with President Donald J. Trump’s January 2025 executive order, “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence,” which prioritizes accelerating AI adoption without ideological biases or bureaucratic hurdles. The order aims to solidify American dominance in AI innovation to maintain strategic advantages over adversaries.
The panelists also discussed recent guidance from the Office of Management and Budget designed to streamline AI adoption across federal agencies. All panelists agreed that the guidance fosters accelerated innovation while retaining essential safeguards around data security and responsible AI usage.
“The new OMB memos clearly shift from risk aversion toward accelerated, safe adoption,” Coggins said. Herlory added that this guidance aligns well with DOD’s existing strategies, particularly its emphasis on innovation balanced with rigorous safety and ethical standards.
When asked about the future of AI roles within government, all three panelists concurred that AI leadership would likely grow in importance. Dunkin noted that positions such as chief AI officer are rapidly becoming indispensable as the technology integrates deeply into national security and defense operations.
Herlory emphasized that successful AI deployment depends heavily on collaboration across various military and governmental sectors.
“AI initiatives must bring together diverse stakeholders, including policy, acquisition and operational teams,” she said.
Looking forward, each panelist identified promising AI applications relevant to their roles. Dunkin highlighted AI’s transformative potential in achieving American energy dominance, referencing DOE’s prior success using AI-driven processes to rapidly develop new battery technologies. Coggins anticipated significant enhancements in security investigations and mission integration capabilities.
Herlory provided a broader vision, emphasizing AI’s potential to provide military leaders with clearer, more comprehensive situational awareness.
“AI can significantly enhance the Joint Staff’s ability to integrate and analyze global military operations, ultimately enabling better, faster decisions,” she said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
25 Apr 25. US Congress Republicans seek $27bn for Golden Dome in Trump tax bill.
• Summary
• Companies
• Bill aims to supercharge spending on warships, missiles defense
• It also seeks to strengthen US military presence in the Indo-Pacific
• $29bn allotted for ships, $11bn for combat aircraft
Republicans in the U.S. Congress plan to introduce a sweeping $150bn defense package that will give an initial $27bn boost to President Donald Trump’s controversial Golden Dome missile defense shield, according to a document and a congressional aide.
The measure, which will be in addition to the approved $886bn national security budget for 2025, would also fund the building of 14 warships and lift homeland security spending. It will be part of Trump’s sweeping tax cuts bill, which will cut taxes by about $5trn and add approximately $5.7trn to the federal government’s debt over the next decade.
The measure, details of which have not been previously reported, was designed to address the military’s most pressing needs, Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Reuters in an interview.
He said it was focused on supercharging key areas such as naval shipbuilding, missile defense, and space sensing as well as strengthening the country’s military presence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, part of a broader strategy to prevent conflict.
“Strength, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, will make China less eager to break the status quo, which has led to a vast global prosperity among people who’ve never had it before. This is part of a plan to prevent war,” Wicker said.
“We’re revitalizing our defense industrial base, strengthening our ability to deter adversaries like China, and giving our servicemembers the support they deserve.” the statement said.
The congressional aide said the two Republican Chairmen were in lockstep with Trump on the spending priorities set forth in the package.
According to the document seen by Reuters, the bill’s largest item is $29bn for the procurement of 14 new ships, and what it called a “historic largest-ever” investment in unmanned ships.
As part of an $11bn expansion of combat aircraft purchases, the bill also funds the purchase of about 40 Boeing Co (BA.N), opens new tab F-15EX fighter jets, the congressional aide said.
Some $20bn in funding has been allotted for the production of new munitions, the expansion of the country’s supplier base and the replenishment of critical minerals stockpiles.
The spending package includes $14 billion to fund the adoption of artificial intelligence and to expand the production of new low-cost weapons. The industrial scale of the war in Ukraine has highlighted the necessity for deeper inventories of relatively inexpensive weapons.
And in a push to deter China, the package earmarks $6 billion to weapons procurement priorities for the Pacific.
It also provides significant funding for the development of innovative technologies, including a $5bn investment in autonomous systems, a substantial increase from the $500m allocated by the Biden administration.
To help address the Pentagon’s chronic audit failures, $700m has been earmarked to accelerate the adoption of more automated systems Department of Defense business processes.
Notably, much of the funding allocated in this package will not expire at the end of the fiscal year, providing a significant boost to the country’s defense capabilities.
The measure will move forward through the process of reconciliation, a parliamentary procedure that allows Congress to pass budget-related bills with a simple majority vote, bypassing the usual 60-vote threshold required for most legislation. (Source: Reuters)
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