Rep. Pat Fallon (R) has introduced the Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at increasing competition and innovation in the Department of Defense’s (DOD) contracting process for artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing tools.
The bill is designed to ensure that the DOD prioritizes resiliency, security, and free-market competition when awarding contracts in these fast-evolving and strategically critical technology sectors.
“By relying on free market principles, the Department of Defense can help ensure competition and innovation when it comes to the bidding process for government AI and cloud contracts,” Rep. Fallon said in a statement. “It’s our duty to ensure the DOD is picking the winners now and, in the future, to keep ahead of our competitors.”
The bill is a response to growing concerns that monopolized control of defense cloud and AI contracts may limit innovation and create vulnerabilities in national security infrastructure.
The Texas Republican emphasized the need to guard against evolving cyber threats, commenting that “due to the varied cyber threats facing our nation today, we must also ensure that AI and cloud-related data is secure when it is held exclusively by the federal government.”
Rep. Fallon’s bill seeks to ensure that defense data remains secure while encouraging a diverse pool of contractors to contribute to future-focused defense capabilities.
California Rep. Sara Jacobs (D) and Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Deluzio (D) joined Rep. Fallon in introducing the bill this week, given that there is a bipartisan interest in strengthening America’s technological edge in national defense.
The proposed bill comes at a time when there is increasing global competition in AI and defense technology, particularly from adversarial nations like China and Russia.
Through bolstering private-sector competition and innovation, lawmakers hope to position the U.S. as a continued leader in secure, cutting-edge military technologies.
