President Trump’s most recent executive order on AI lays the groundwork for further development and implementation of the technology for military and national security applications.
On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order that protects AI development from patchwork and expensive compliance requirements resulting from various state laws. The key provisions that will benefit AI development for defense applications include:
- Directing the attorney general to create an AI litigation task force to challenge various unconstitutional, preempted or otherwise unlawful state AI laws
- Encouraging states to collaborate with the federal government to encourage technological innovation in AI
- Calling for the development of a national AI legislative framework
“We have the big investment coming, but if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you could forget it, because it’s not possible to do,” Trump was quoted by FedScoop as saying.
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Is the U.S. Using AI in the Military?
The Trump administration is preparing to unveil a new strategy to encourage the military’s use of AI tools by providing commercial services directly to operators among three categories, according to DefenseScoop. Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering and a keynote speaker at the 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29, said that, in the next three weeks, the DOW would begin deploying AI services straight to some, if not all, of the 3 million potential operators at the Pentagon among different classification levels.
Michael said the Chief Digital and AI Office, or CDAO, which is under his purview, will focus on improving partnerships with major AI firms to rapidly provide models and other tools specifically designed for military use.
How Will Trump’s Latest AI Executive Order Benefit Military Innovation?
Here are five ways Trump’s latest executive order on AI could benefit the technology’s use by the Pentagon:
1. Streamlined Regulatory Environment
Uniform federal rules, rather than 50 state-by-state systems, can reduce compliance complexity for defense contractors and military research programs building AI systems. Defense technology developers often operate across multiple states and jurisdictions. A consistent national regulatory structure simplifies compliance and accelerates development timelines.
2. Faster Deployment of AI Military Technologies
By minimizing regulatory barriers:
- The U.S. can more rapidly develop, test and deploy AI-enabled defense systems, such as autonomous logistics planning, cyber defenses, battlefield analytics and command-and-control support tools
- Eliminating divergent state standards means fewer delays or conflicting requirements that might otherwise slow deployment of critical technologies
This could be especially important given international competition with China in military AI systems, a key element in the global AI arms race.
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3. Unified Federal Strategy Increases Scale of Defense Integration
A federal framework could:
Encourage alignment between defense research agencies, such as the Department of War’s Joint AI Center, and civilian AI regulators. It could also enable standardized procurement and integration of AI across the armed forces without state-level legal barriers. This would support large-scale defense AI programs, which often require predictable regulatory expectations.
4. Concentrated Focus on National Security Priorities
By centralizing AI oversight at the federal level, policymakers can directly tailor regulations to national security needs, such as ensuring that AI systems for defense are prioritized in funding, testing protocol and safety standards.
They could also craft rules that explicitly consider defense requirements rather than general consumer protections. This would be valuable for balancing innovation with mission-critical safeguards.
5. Reduced Legal Uncertainty for Defense Procurement
Legal unpredictability, especially when states have vastly different AI rules, can deter defense firms from investing in cutting-edge capabilities. A single federal standard reduces litigation risk and compliance costs for defense-oriented AI developers.
The executive order’s task force is designed to challenge conflicting state laws, which can reduce regulatory noise even before broader federal legislation is passed.
