National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, Section 7337 ("National Academy of Sciences report on uncrewed systems and use of data")

• 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.

• Lack of capability or robustness

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 procedural mandate requiring a study on uncrewed maritime technologies, focusing on operational benefits and cost-effectiveness rather than AI-specific risks. No risk subdomains receive substantive coverage.

Sector coverage

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

• Scientific Research & Development Services
• Public Administration (excl. National Security)

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

• Trade, Transportation & Utilities
• Information
• Health Care & Social Assistance
• National Security

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This document primarily governs Public Administration excluding National Security, specifically the U.S. Coast Guard's assessment and potential adoption of uncrewed maritime technologies. It also has implications for National Security through intelligence gathering and surveillance capabilities, and for Scientific Research and Development Services through the National Academy of Sciences' research mandate.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding statutory provision within the National Defense Authorization Act, using mandatory language ('shall') to require the Commandant to commission a study and the National Academy of Sciences to submit a report to Congress within specified timeframes.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: United States Congress
• Summary: The document is Section 7337 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: Commandant (of the Coast Guard); National Academy of Sciences; Coast Guard
• Summary: The document directs the Commandant to commission a study and requires the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an assessment of uncrewed maritime technologies for Coast Guard use.

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 receive the mandated report and provide oversight to ensure compliance with the statutory requirements and deadlines.

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; National Academy of Sciences
• Summary: The Congressional committees monitor compliance through report submission, while the National Academy of Sciences conducts the assessment and evaluates Coast Guard technologies and policies.

AI Lifecycle Stages

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

• Plan and Design
• Operate and Monitor

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document primarily addresses the Plan and Design stage by requiring an assessment of technologies and necessary policy adjustments. It also covers Operate and Monitor through evaluation of operational effectiveness and the transition from R&D to operations. The document does not substantively address data collection, model building, verification/validation, or deployment stages.

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 focuses on uncrewed, autonomous, or remotely-controlled systems rather than AI models or systems specifically. While these technologies may incorporate AI, the document does not explicitly define or discuss AI models, AI systems, or any specific AI categories. The emphasis is on maritime domain awareness technologies and their operational applications.