The Senate Armed Services Committee has introduced the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill aims to authorize nearly $1 trillion in defense funding. It allocates $923.3 billion, with $878.4 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD) and $33.4 billion for national security programs under the Department of Energy.
One key priority is modernization, featuring a pilot program to optimize AI-enabled software for use in DOD facilities. The bill also includes measures to enhance military supply chain security and tasks the Pentagon with developing strategies for countering drone technologies.
It mandates the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to launch a quantum scaling initiative to expand defense quantum computing capabilities. The NDAA establishes dedicated cyber intelligence capabilities within the DOD to support investigations into cyber threat actors. It directs the DOD to incorporate operational technology into the federal information assurance vulnerability management program to enhance the cybersecurity posture of critical infrastructure sectors.
Senate prioritizes cybersecurity and AI
The bill requires a report to Congress on the DOD’s cybersecurity cooperation with international allies to mitigate cyberthreats to undersea cables, which are crucial for global communication and data transfer. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen.
Jack Reed and ranking member Sen. Roger Wicker emphasized the bill’s significant support for technologies such as counter-drone defenses and AI. The bill funds a university consortium on cybersecurity and establishes an AI human factors integration initiative to identify research gaps in the use of AI systems in warfighting and non-warfighting contexts.
The DOD Cyber Crime Center is tasked with conducting cyber tabletop exercises alongside the defense industrial base to identify gaps in cyber capabilities and resources. The bill requires additional guidance on how the DOD’s zero trust strategy applies to internet-connected military equipment. Permanent authority is provided to a coalition within the DOD that supports software and hardware assurance, and a review of the implementation of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 is mandated.
The bill authorizes a 5.3% annual increase in the DOD’s fiscal year budget. The House and Senate will consider the military package separately before voting on a final, unified version of the bill.
