A massive defense policy bill approved by the Senate on Thursday is loaded with provisions to advance the Pentagon’s tech and protect the country against digital threats posed by Russia and China.
The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the upper chamber with a vote of 86-8, would direct some $750 billion to fund the Defense Department, intelligence community and national security programs at the Energy Department in 2020. The legislation would authorize hundreds of millions of dollars for artificial intelligence and cyber research, and support efforts to lock down the government supply chain, fight foreign misinformation and bolster the Pentagon’s tech workforce.
Thursday’s vote comes as an early move in what’s expected to be a heated partisan battle over next year’s government funding.
