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The National Security Council and the White House chief of staff have been assigned to develop a National Security Memorandum detailing responsible military use of artificial intelligence, according to an executive order from President Biden today.

“The Executive Order establishes new standards for AI safety and security, protects Americans’ privacy, advances equity and civil rights, stands up for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world and more,” the order states.

The order, which the Biden administration says builds upon previous AI directives, states the National Security Council and the White House chief of staff will develop a National Security Memorandum for “further actions on AI and security.”

“This document will ensure that the United States military and intelligence community use AI safely, ethically and effectively in their missions, and will direct actions to counter adversaries’ military use of AI,” the order states.

In July 2022, the Defense Department released the Responsible AI Strategy and Implementation Pathway, a framework for how it plans to further ethical artificial intelligence use throughout the military.

However, in June 2023 the Government Accountability Office said the government has yet to release a department-wide AI acquisition strategy, despite forming plans to invest billions into artificial intelligence.

“Although numerous entities across DOD are acquiring, developing or already using AI, DOD has not issued department-wide guidance for how its components should approach acquiring AI,” a June 29 GAO report stated.

The Executive Order released today, meanwhile, provides ethical outlines to proper development of artificial intelligence, including requiring that developers of the most powerful AI systems share vital information, like the results of their safety tests, with the U.S. government.

“In accordance with the Defense Production Act, the Order will require that companies developing any foundation model that poses a serious risk to national security, national economic security, or national public health and safety must notify the federal government when training the model and must share the results of all red-team safety tests,” the order states. “These measures will ensure AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy before companies make them public.”

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the foreign military sales process, Oshkosh's and L3Harris Technologies' quarterly earnings and more.

Defense Security Cooperation Agency Director James Hursch, speaking at this week's annual Common Defense Conference, discussed the "six pressure point recommendations" that the Foreign Military Sales Tiger Team created and released in June:

DSCA director pledges continued FMS reform, signaling lessons learned from global crises

The director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency spoke this week about Pentagon and State Department efforts to reform and streamline the foreign military sales process, detailing how work is ongoing to follow new “tiger team” recommendations and how they might impact the war in Ukraine and the future of allyships like AUKUS.

More defense contractors held their quarterly earnings calls this week:

Oshkosh Defense sales decrease after JLTV contract loss

After losing a production contract for tactical vehicles, Oshkosh Defense experienced a loss in sales in the third quarter but expects a “strong” fourth quarter and production capacity to increase, according to the company’s earnings call.

L3Harris planning to use Defense Production Act funding to boost Aerojet Rocketdyne capacity

L3Harris Technologies plans to use $216 million in Defense Production Act funding to boost capacity and long-term growth at recently acquired Aerojet Rocketdyne, executives said today.

House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific subcommittee Chairman Young Kim (R-CA) sent a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro calling on the service to speed up the production and sale of weapons Taiwan needs to defend itself in the instance of a Chinese invasion, like Harpoon and SLAM-ER missiles:

Lawmakers call on Navy to accelerate Taiwan weapons transfers including Harpoon and SLAM-ER missiles

Lawmakers are calling on the Navy to speed up the production and delivery of weapons to Taiwan and are demanding an explanation for months-long delays in the transfer of two key missile systems in a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

Document: Lawmakers' letter to Navy on weapons sales to Taiwan

A final request for proposals for the missile warning and tracking satellite program will be released in the "May timeframe," according to a U.S. Space Command official:

SSC plans to award contracts for 18 MW/MT satellites by early 2025

U.S. Space Systems Command is expecting to award contracts for 18 new missile warning and tracking satellites between late 2024 and early 2025, a senior command official said last week.

The Defense Department has plans to send two U.S.-based Iron Dome air defense batteries to Israel, along with additional missile interceptors, according to Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's chief spokesman.

Ryder, “for security reasons,” declined to say where the Iron Dome batteries, made by Israeli company Rafael, would be stationed and when they are expected to be operational in Israel’s conflict against Hamas.

President Biden, in his recent emergency spending request to Congress, is seeking $4 billion in DOD procurement funds that would be transferred to Israel “for the procurement of the Iron Dome Defense System capabilities and David’s Sling short-range ballistic missile defense in order to counter short-range rockets and mortar threats.”

Additionally, the administration seeks $1.2 billion for research, development, test and evaluation work on Iron Beam, a proposed laser upgrade to Iron Dome.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has tapped 900 U.S. military personnel to deploy or to prepare to deploy to the Middle East, along with Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Air Defense systems, though Ryder stressed they are not going to Israel.

The U.S. troops and air defense systems, Ryder said, are "intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster U.S. force protection capabilities.”

Ryder said U.S. and coalition forces in the Middle East have been attacked by Iran-backed groups using a mix of rockets and drones at least a dozen separate times in Iraq and four separate times in Syria between Oct. 17 and Oct. 26, including one attempted attack today against U.S. forces in Erbil, Iraq.

Ryder said 21 total U.S. personnel have suffered minor injuries during the attacks on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, with some being diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. He said all have returned to duty.

Ryder declined to discuss any potential U.S. response to the attacks.

“We will reserve the right to self-defense,” he said. “I’m not going to telegraph any response other than to say we would do so at a time and place of our choosing.”

The Army has chosen Elbit Systems of America to develop and qualify a prototype for the service's new Joint Effects Targeting System (JETS II) variant, the company announced Thursday.

Nearly a year ago, the Army released a request for prototype proposals for JETS II to solicit information from the private sector.

The Army, in its RPP, indicated that it intends to integrate a military code GPS receiver to handle call-for-fire missions. It will be used for “coordinate seeking, laser guided and conventional munitions,” according to the service.

The Army selected Elbit America to develop and qualify a prototype JETS II product, which will make targeting “easier and more precise” and will provide “faster effects on targets” according to the company. Development of the prototype system will be done at Elbit America’s Merrimack, NH facility through 2026.

Elbit America’s handheld system “allows soldiers to rapidly prosecute threats in all operational environments,” including for contested battlefields. The company’s system will ensure that “forward observers in the U.S. Army can operate with exceptional mobility, lethality and survivability, no matter where the battle takes place,” Erik Fox, the vice president of warfighter systems for Elbit America said in a statement Thursday.

“Responding to soldier feedback on such systems, we are designing a prototype lightweight JETS II system so it can be carried and effortlessly set up, shaving precious time off the targeting process in the field,” he said.

The Defense Department today announced it would transfer $150 million in weapons to Ukraine that will need to be replenished by U.S. defense contractors, highlighting the positive impact the move will have on American jobs as some in Congress, especially the GOP-led House, remain opposed to further spending that would aid Kyiv.

“Security assistance for Ukraine is a smart investment in our national security,” DOD said in a press release. “It helps to prevent a larger conflict in the region and deter potential aggression elsewhere, while strengthening our defense industrial base and creating highly skilled jobs for the American people.”

The package includes:

• Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);

• AIM-9M missiles for air defense;

• Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;

• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);

• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;

• Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;

• Javelin anti-armor systems;

• More than 2 million rounds of small arms ammunition;

• Night vision devices;

• Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing;

• Cold weather gear; and

• Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.

The transfer is being implemented via presidential “drawdown” authority, the 49th such action for Ukraine since August 2021.

“This package utilizes assistance previously authorized for Ukraine during prior fiscal years under Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) that remained after the PDA revaluation process concluded in June,” DOD said.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon says it is running low on funds to aid Ukraine and President Biden has requested $61.4 billion in security and humanitarian assistance for Kyiv in his $106 billion emergency supplemental spending request.

Despite broad bipartisan support for Ukraine, it is unclear how Congress will respond in terms of aid as the House GOP recently elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as speaker. He voted against a measure in September that would have given $300 million in security assistance to Ukraine and in February posted on X that American taxpayers “deserve to know if the Ukrainian government is being entirely forthcoming and transparent about the use of this massive sum of taxpayer resources.”

DOD, meanwhile, said the new security assistance package is a “another visible signal of the United States’ continued commitment to supporting the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression.”

Ammunition manufacturers will have an opportunity to produce 105mm high-explosive rounds for the Army's newest armored combat vehicle, according to an Oct. 10 public announcement.

Designed to be fired from the M10 Booker, the Army is seeking contractors that can produce the 105mm M393A3 High Explosive Plastic (HEP) cartridges capable of defeating bunkers and breaching double reinforced concrete walls, the announcement states, which was updated on Oct. 19.

“Production facilities must be in place or require minimal effort to establish,” the announcement adds.

Annual production quantities will range from 3,500 to 6,500 for a fixed-term contract with production deliveries lasting up to 34 months, the announcement reads.

Manufacturing will also include M393A3 HEP-T, a tracer round that can illuminate for more than five seconds.

The M939A3 comes from a family of ammunition, which includes canister and training variants.

The round can be fired from the M68 tank gun, which was used on the Army’s earlier combat vehicles, and the XM35 tank gun, which is used on the M10.