National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, Section 7335 ("Uncrewed systems capabilities report")

• Authority: United States Congress
• Parent authority: Federal government
• Jurisdiction: United States
• Collections: NDAA provisions;U.S. federal laws;FY2026 NDAA
• Most recent activity: Enacted
• Most recent activity date: 2025-12-18

Risk subdomain coverage

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

• AI system security vulnerabilities
• Cyberattacks, weapon development or use
• Governance failure

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

The document has minimal coverage of AI risk domains, with limited focus on AI system security (2.2) through counter-uncrewed system technologies, and implicit coverage of governance structures (6.5) through the establishment of coordination mechanisms. The document primarily addresses operational capabilities rather than AI-specific risks.

Sector coverage

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

• Information
• Scientific Research & Development Services
• National Security

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

• Trade, Transportation & Utilities
• Professional & Technical Services

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This legislation primarily governs the National Security sector through Coast Guard operations and capabilities. It also has implications for the Information sector through data systems and AI/ML integration, and involves cross-sector collaboration with Scientific Research and Development Services through partnerships with research agencies.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding legislative provision enacted by the United States Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, containing mandatory reporting requirements and establishing formal governmental structures with specific deadlines and obligations.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress
• Summary: The document is a section of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, which is enacted by the United States Congress as the legislative authority.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Coast Guard; Commandant of the Coast Guard
• Summary: The legislation directly targets the Coast Guard and its Commandant, requiring them to establish an uncrewed systems capabilities office and submit reports on AI-enhanced uncrewed technologies.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate
• Summary: Congressional committees are designated as the oversight bodies that receive mandatory reports and briefings, providing enforcement through Congressional oversight mechanisms.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Executive Director of the Office of Naval Research; Director of the National Science Foundation; Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Summary: Congressional committees receive reports and annual briefings to monitor implementation. Multiple federal agencies are required to coordinate and participate in annual briefings on the governance of uncrewed maritime systems.

AI Lifecycle Stages

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

• Plan and Design
• Collect and Process Data
• Build and Use Model
• Verify and Validate
• Deploy
• Operate and Monitor

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document covers multiple AI lifecycle stages with primary focus on Plan and Design (establishing office and strategies), Build and Use Model (AI and machine learning tools development), Deploy (deployment of uncrewed technologies), and Operate and Monitor (data systems, maritime domain awareness, and ongoing governance briefings).

Technical Scope

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

• AI Systems

Technical Scope Summary

The document explicitly mentions AI and machine learning tools as key enablers for uncrewed systems integration. It focuses on AI systems rather than models specifically, with emphasis on operational integration of AI-enhanced uncrewed technologies. No specific AI categories (frontier, general purpose, etc.) or compute thresholds are mentioned.