Reps. Moulton, Banks release report on future of defense

Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Jim Banks (R-IN), the co-chairs of the Future of Defense Task Force, released their final report with recommendations to enhance the national security innovation base to meet emerging threats.

Specifically, the report suggests strategies to win the artificial intelligence and biotechnology race. It also calls for an evaluation of the effects of emerging technology integrations into the existing defense apparatus. In addition, it urges the government to leverage the innovation base and underscores the need for strengthened partnerships and alliances. Further, it calls for creating additional pathways for STEM talent to enter the Department of Defense workforce. Finally, the report recommends strengthening the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) to include AI, quantum computing, sensing, and autonomy space, and robotics.

“America needs a plan to confront the dual threats of Russia’s aggression and China’s rise. This is it. For the first time, there is agreement among both parties in Congress about the path forward, we can take it no matter the outcome of the November election,” Moulton said. “If we fail to act on this plan, the world order will shift from one that favors democracy to one that favors authoritarianism. I will do all I can to make the recommendations in this report reality.”

In addition to Moulton and banks, the bipartisan task force includes Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Paul Mitchell (R-MI), and Michael Waltz (R-FL).

“The significance of this report is in its name. This report details a vision of the future of defense–specifically a smart, whole-of-nation strategy addressing the rise of China–and I will be dedicating the rest of my career on the House Armed Services Committee to making sure it comes to fruition,” Banks said. “The Department of Defense needs to innovate to ensure the United States maintains its global military supremacy, and this report is the roadmap to do it.”

Reps. Adam Smith (D-WA), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Mac Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the report advanced the conversation and provided Congress with a foundation for policymaking going forward.