S.Amdt. 6152

SA 6152, submitted by Mr. Wyden, aims to make improvements to the Steering Committee on Emerging Technology and National Security. It changes a "may" to a "shall" in subsection (a) of Section 236 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.

The amendment adds a requirement for the Steering Committee to submit a report to appropriate congressional committees by December 31, 2026, and annually after that. This report must compare the capabilities of the United States and its adversaries regarding:

• Lethal automated weapon systems (fully-automated or with the potential to become fully-automated).
• Weapon systems that support targeting for lethal action.
• Automated systems with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities that support target recommendations.

The report must include details on spending, test infrastructure, workforce, the quantity of systems, technological progress, deployment timelines, the intent of adversaries to use the technology, and the U.S. approval process for development and deployment.

The amendment also adds specific definitions for:

• Fully automated: Systems that can select and engage targets without further operator intervention.
• Potential to become fully automated: Systems that could be deployed as an autonomous weapon system.
• Semi-autonomous: Systems intended to engage only targets or groups selected by an operator, including those that use autonomy for functions like tracking, prioritizing, or providing terminal guidance.