GUARD Act

This bill, titled the Growing University AI Research for Defense Act (GUARD Act), would authorize the Secretary of Defense to establish National Security and Defense Artificial Intelligence Institutes at eligible host institutions and to provide financial support for their creation and operation. An eligible host institution is defined as a senior military college. The Institutes would focus on cross-cutting AI challenges relevant to national security and defense, and would foster partnerships among public and private sector entities—including federal agencies, universities (including community colleges), nonprofit research organizations, state/local/tribal governments, and industry (including the Defense Industrial Base and startups). The goal is to create or strengthen an innovation ecosystem that translates AI research into practical defense capabilities and to support workforce development in AI-related disciplines in the United States. Funding would be awarded for up to five years, with a possible renewal for an additional five years, on a competitive, merit-based basis. Funds could be used for data sets, testbeds for evaluating AI systems, research and education activities, computing resources, technical assistance, outreach to broaden participation in the AI workforce, and related activities as determined by the DoD. The bill emphasizes that recipients and any subgrantees must be based in the United States. DoD could collaborate with other federal agencies to support these efforts.