William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, Division A, Title XI, Section 1102 ("Enhancement of public-private talent exchange programs in the Department of Defense")

• Authority: United States Congress
• Parent authority: Federal government
• Jurisdiction: United States
• Collections: NDAA provisions;U.S. federal laws
• Most recent activity: Enacted
• Most recent activity date: 2021-01-01

Risk subdomain coverage

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the risk subdomain are described.

• Competitive dynamics

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

This document has minimal to no coverage of AI risk domains. It is a legislative provision establishing a personnel exchange program between the Department of Defense and private sector entities, with a focus on modernization priorities including AI. While it mentions AI applications, it does not address specific AI risks, harms, or safety concerns from the MIT taxonomy. The document focuses on administrative and governance mechanisms for talent exchange rather than AI risk mitigation.

Sector coverage

Good coverage — Comprehensive governance measures or mitigations with clear procedures relating to the sector are explicitly described.

• National Security

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the sector are described.

• Information
• Scientific Research & Development Services

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This document primarily governs National Security by establishing personnel exchange programs within the Department of Defense. It also has minimal coverage of Scientific Research and Development Services and Information sectors through references to private sector entities working on DoD modernization priorities including AI applications.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding federal statute enacted by the United States Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. It contains mandatory language requiring the Secretary of Defense to take specific actions and establishes legally enforceable obligations.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress
• Summary: The document is Section 1102 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which is federal legislation enacted by the United States Congress.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor, AI_Developer
• Entities: Department of Defense; Secretary of Defense; Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense; Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of military departments; private sector entities working on modernization priorities
• Summary: The document applies to the Department of Defense and its personnel participating in exchanges, as well as private sector entities working on DoD modernization priorities including AI applications. The exchanges target specific DoD offices and all Armed Forces.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Secretary of Defense; Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives
• Summary: The Secretary of Defense is responsible for implementing the program, managing conflicts of interest, and ensuring compliance. Congressional oversight is provided through the Armed Services Committees which receive mandatory briefings.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives; Secretary of Defense
• Summary: Congressional Armed Services Committees monitor implementation through mandatory annual briefings for 5 years. The Secretary of Defense also monitors the program's implementation and reports on barriers, incentives, and needed statutory changes.

AI Lifecycle Stages

Lifecycle stages covered by the documents, as defined in the OECD Framework for the Classification of AI Systems

No lifecycle stages identified.

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document does not directly govern specific AI lifecycle stages but rather establishes a personnel exchange program to support DoD modernization priorities including AI. The program could indirectly support multiple lifecycle stages by facilitating knowledge transfer between DoD and private sector entities working on AI development and deployment.

Technical Scope

Terms relating to technical scope that are mentioned or implicitly referenced in the document

No technical scope terms identified.

Technical Scope Summary

The document mentions AI applications as part of DoD modernization priorities but does not define or specify particular types of AI systems, models, or technical thresholds. It is a personnel exchange program rather than AI-specific technical governance.