Rep. Sara Jacobs Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Address AI Weaknesses and Failures at Pentagon
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Rep. George Whitesides (CA-27), and Rep. Nathaniel Moran (TX-01) introduced bipartisan legislation to create an AI incident and vulnerability reporting program within the Department of Defense. The program would identify, analyze, and remediate AI weaknesses across the development, testing, procurement, fielding, and operation of DoD AI systems, including risks arising from human-machine teaming. The provision was included in the National Defense Authorization Act that passed the House on July 22, 2026.
“The Pentagon is racing to adopt AI like most other workplaces, but when AI fails at the Pentagon, the consequences can be deadly and could even pull the United States into a war,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs. “That’s why we need a department-wide program to catch and fix AI incidents and vulnerabilities before they turn into catastrophes. Our legislation will help the Pentagon identify risks earlier, learn from AI failures, and help make AI systems safer, more reliable, and more accountable.”
Rep. Nathaniel Moran said: “Because of how high the stakes are in the situations our military operates in we must truly understand the faults and capabilities of the AI systems we use on the battlefield. This legislation ensures the Pentagon tracks incidents, learns from them, and addresses vulnerabilities across the entire lifecycle of these systems. That’s how we utilize AI the American people and our service members can rely on.”
“As the military expands its use of artificial intelligence, we need to bring accountability to the process,” said Rep. George Whitesides. “This legislation ensures that problems are taken seriously when they arise and we are doing our due diligence to address weaknesses and vulnerabilities within the Department of Defense. If artificial intelligence is to be used in our military, we must deploy it responsibly.”
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