House Approves $895B Defense Bill, Enhancing Military Readiness and AI Integration

Dec 11, 2024, 05:06 PM

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), setting the defense budget at $895 billion. The legislation focuses on enhancing national security, supporting military personnel, and cutting wasteful spending. Key provisions include a 14.5% pay raise for junior troops, improvements in military housing conditions, and the divestment of obsolete aircraft and ships, saving taxpayers $31 billion. The NDAA also aims to strengthen military capabilities to deter China, support Israel's missile defense programs, and address the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into weapon systems. It mandates annual updates to Congress on the approval and deployment of lethal autonomous weapon systems by the U.S. military. Additionally, the bill bans Critical Race Theory (CRT) at service academies and increases funding for JROTC and ROTC programs. The Pentagon has established an AI Rapid Capabilities Cell to streamline AI integration and enhance defense innovation, following the conclusion of its generative AI task force.