Washington’s national security machinery is being asked to do more than at any point in a decade, with an active war in the Gulf, a Russia policy pulling in two directions and a Taiwan question that won’t sit still. It’s being asked to do it with fewer people, fewer allies sharing in full, and less money from Congress. CrossGov.com, a site that covers US government with a federal focus, has been documenting that gap piece by piece.

Congress has considered the implications of biometric technologies—specifically facial recognition—in a number of recent legislative provisions. Key Legislative Provisions Section 5104 of the FY2021 NDAA (P.L. 116-283) tasks the National AI Advisory Committee with advising the President on whether the use of facial recognition technology by government authorities is taking into account ethical considerations and whether such use should be subject to additional oversight, controls, and limitations. Section 5708 of the FY2020 NDAA (P.

Eleven House Armed Services Committee Democrats have written to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanding a classified briefing on the condition of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, now approaching ten consecutive months at sea — a deployment that may soon break the U.S. Navy’s record. The letter, led by Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA), Wesley Bell (D-MO), and Joe Courtney (D-CT), warns that the strike group is operating at “the outer edge of, and potentially exceeding, standard Navy deployment timelines.