WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum establishing a new framework to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence across the U.S. military and intelligence community, directing the rapid deployment of advanced AI systems to warfighters and intelligence professionals while setting strict accountability standards for their use.
The memorandum directed the national security enterprise to onboard the most advanced AI models from multiple vendors, build next-generation high-security computing facilities to run future AI systems at scale, and establish an AI National Security Strategic Reserve drawing on top non-governmental experts. It also required the Secretary of Defense to issue an updated directive on autonomy in weapon systems and mandated annual reviews of key guidance to keep pace with the rapidly advancing AI landscape.
A central element of the memorandum was a prohibition on any entity — commercial or otherwise — disabling, degrading, or modifying an AI system that American warfighters depend on without prior approval. The administration also offered new partnerships with willing private-sector companies to protect cutting-edge U.S. AI systems against global threats.
The memorandum rescinded and replaced the Biden administration’s NSM-25, which the White House characterized as an outdated document that burdened AI adoption with ideological mandates and created dangerous dependencies on single vendors, leaving military personnel exposed.
Trump administration officials framed the action as part of a broader effort to ensure the United States maintains technological superiority over adversaries. The memorandum explicitly prohibited the national security enterprise from developing or deploying AI to censor free speech, embed ideological bias, or conduct unlawful surveillance against American citizens, and made accountability a central pillar of AI adoption by reinforcing a chain of command running from the American people through the president to the warfighter.
The signing built on a series of AI-related actions taken by the administration, including an AI Action Plan released in July 2025, a June 2026 Executive Order advancing American AI innovation and cybersecurity, and agreements announced in May 2026 between the Defense Department and eight leading AI companies to deploy their capabilities on classified military networks.