Sen. Kelly amendment in defense bill would ensure ‘ultimate human responsibility’ in AI-powered kill chain
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/06/15/mark-kelly-amendment-defense-bill-ai-powered-kill-chain/
Publish Date: 2026-06-15 19:30:00
Source Domain: cronkitenews.azpbs.org
by Katie O’Shaughnessy and Carsten Oyer, Cronkite News
June 15, 2026
WASHINGTON – A Senate committee that oversees the Pentagon has adopted a measure from Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly intended to require “ultimate human responsibility” in the use of force.
The U.S. and other nations are increasingly deploying autonomous weapons systems, and the use of artificial intelligence has escalated rapidly in the U.S. war with Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“Congress is responding to a public and allied concern that the United States could find itself legally and ethically exposed if autonomous systems cause civilian casualties without any clear human decision-maker in the chain,” Zaza Tsotniashvili, a professor at Caucasus International University in Tbilisi, Georgia, said by email.
Kelly, a Democrat who served as a Navy combat pilot, added his provision to the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act. It codifies a 2023 Defense Department policy called Directive 3000.09, which requires human oversight in the use of autonomous weapons – military systems that operate without human intervention.
On June 5, President Donald Trump issued an update to that directive ordering the Pentagon to “eliminate unnecessary barriers to rapid deployment” of AI within 90 days. Kelly’s amendment would override that, if it survives the legislative process, by blocking the elimination of human involvement in the “kill chain.”
The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the amendment Thursday and sent the bill to the full Senate on an 18-9 vote.
Kelly ultimately voted against the NDAA despite the inclusion of the AI provision and other amendments he supported. He cited the $1.15 trillion price tag and lack of transparency, as shown by Trump’s defiance of Congress in going to war with Iran.
“We cannot write them another blank check,” Kelly said last week in a statement explaining his opposition to the bill.
AI use by the U.S. armed forces has…
