Military and National Security Uses of AI

Science Committee oversees military/defense AI research; emphasis on Trump administration AI dominance agenda

Introduced with Brandon Williams the Department of Energy Artificial Intelligence Act of 2024 to authorize "Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security, and Technology" initiative and facilitate AI/HPC development via DOE infrastructure for national security and scientific discovery.

Frames AI development within national security context; supports advancing defense systems and US technological leadership

26-year Army career including electronic warfare roles; Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy; testimony on cyber resilience and AI integration into military operations.

Co-introduced GUARD Act to establish National Security and Defense AI Institute; supports defense AI readiness and research workforce development

Sponsored FY26 Intelligence Authorization Act which encourages development of AI for US intelligence community.

Advocates for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the U.S. military to maintain an edge over competitors

Introduced FAST Act to authorize Defense Department procurement of software/data for AI systems; led introduction of Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act; emphasizes AI for military superiority over China

Advocates for strengthening U.S. technological superiority in AI against China

As a member of the AI Task Force, Hill endorsed its findings, which included that AI is critical to national security and that Congress should focus on overseeing AI activities for national security and expanding AI training at the Defense Department.

Introduced GUARD Act to establish Military AI Institute at senior military college; emphasizes ensuring U.S. maintains lead over China in AI for defense and national security

House Armed Services and House Intelligence; on subcommittee that held DoD AI structure hearing (115th); consistent China-deterrent framing on emerging defense tech including AI.

Advocates for securing frontier AI research and infrastructure as national security priority against China

House Republican Policy Committee chair; warns US must stay ahead of China/Russia in military AI; stated "Whoever controls artificial intelligence and quantum computing will control the battlefield"; flagged China deploying AI on unmanned surface vessels in disputed South China Sea.

Ricketts frames AI competition with China explicitly as a national security issue; chaired a subcommittee hearing titled "Countering China's Challenge to American AI Leadership" and said ""Artificial Intelligence will revolutionize daily life and its military uses will shape the global balance of power. Beijing is racing to fuse civilian AI with its military to seize the next revolution in military affairs."

House Armed Services Committee chair; called for Pentagon to divest >$6B in legacy systems and "reinvest those savings in emerging technologies, such as AI, quantum computing, hypersonic"; landed AI provisions in FY26 NDAA covering joint allied R&D and outbound investment restrictions on AI/semiconductors to China.

House Armed Services and House Intelligence; on subcommittee that held DoD AI structure hearing (115th); consistent China-deterrent framing on emerging defense tech including AI.

Introduced an amendment to the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to accelerate the responsible adoption of AI across defense mission areas, including logistics, intelligence, maintenance, and cyber defense

Funds the Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) project and DOME Test Bed at INL via Energy & Water bill, with explicit framing that advanced reactor and AI capabilities are central to "America's nuclear capabilities and... safety and energy independence".

Among a group of lawmakers who sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense Hegseth urging collaboration with Ukraine on the production of AI-enabled, unmanned aerial systems (drones)

Consistent voice for AI-defense investment in north Alabama

Supports AI deployment in military systems; chairs Energy Subcommittee examining AI infrastructure needs

Has framed U.S. leadership in AI as a national-security imperative, warning that losing the AI race to China would undermine U.S. defense systems, but has not taken a specific position on autonomous weapons or military AI applications.

Stated 'AI should defend democracy, not undermine it' and criticized fully autonomous weapons with no human oversight

Says that AI is a helpful aid to law enforcement, but should not be a substitute for trained personnel.

Recommended humans in the loop to identify and remedy potential flaws in civil rights and civil liberties in the Bipartisan House Task Force Report on Artificial Intelligence.

Acknowledges the capabilities of AI helping warfighters, but asserts that no AI System replaces the judgment, training, and experience of a warfighter; says that a human in the loop isn't a formality but instead a requirement

Introduced No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act to ban the use and download of Deepseek from government devices; granted money to ramp up technology used in real-time data collection for police investigations, including use of AI in conjuction with license plate reading cameras

Led inquiry with Senate colleagues to DoD Sec. Hegseth demanding answers on reports the agency plans to allow xAI's Grok chatbot inside DoD networks despite reports the chatbot "has promoted antisemitic and other dangerous content"