Banks Outlines Priorities for Pentagon’s U.S.—China AI Strategy as Tech Rivalry IntensifiesWednesday, March 4, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Yesterday, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) sent a letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth emphasizing the importance of the Artificial Intelligence Futures Steering Committee in the context of U.S.–China AI competition.
Read more about the letterhere.
Read the full letterhereor see below:
Dear Secretary Hegseth:
I am writing regarding the Artificial Intelligence Futures Steering Committee and its significance forU.S.-China AI competition.
The FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directs the Department of War to form asenior-level panel to examine critical questions about advanced artificial intelligence (AI). The NDAA tasks the AI Futures Steering Committee to study advanced AI systems that could be developed in the upcoming years, form proactive policies for evaluating and adopting such systems, and analyze the trajectories of adversaries toward artificial general intelligence.
AI is likely to be the defining technology of the 21st century. Many experts predict that AI may soonmatch or surpass human performance across various tasks, including AI research and developmentitself. We do not know if this progress will occur rapidly or slowly, and it is wise for the Department to prepare for a variety of possibilities.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is clearly aware of AI’s potential. Last year, DeepSeek caughtmuch of our national security community by surprise. As AI competition intensifies, we need to takeappropriate actions to avoid strategic surprises. We must accurately assess the PRC’s AI capabilitiesrelative to our own, understand the most prominent PRC AI developers, assess how key officials think about opportunities and risks from AI, and reliably detect PRC efforts to develop advanced AI.
The Steering Committee is well-suited to address several specific questions relating to PRC AIdevelopment and U.S.-PRC AI competition. I suggest considering the following areas of focus:
Several of these priority areas will involve coordination with the intelligence community. For these, the Steering Committee can play an important role by setting clear intelligence requirements, identifying the questions of greatest strategic importance, and shaping collection and analysis priorities accordingly. It will also be essential to ensure that resulting assessments directly inform theDepartment’s AI strategy, investments, policies, and warfighting tactics.
To support the successful implementation of the Artificial Intelligence Futures Steering Committee, Irequest a staff-level briefing within 60 days to discuss the Department’s plans for the Committee andits role in U.S.-PRC AI competition. I look forward to following the work of the Steering Committee,and I appreciate your work on this critical topic.
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