Authorization for specialized autonomous weapon systems

(a) Petition for authorization The Secretary may submit to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees a formal request for authorization to develop, procure, or field a specific autonomous weapon system or category of systems that does not meet the exceptions under section 6(d). (b) Required elements of request Any request submitted under subsection (a) shall include a classified annex containing the following: (1) Military necessity statement A detailed justification of why the mission cannot be accomplished through semi-autonomous weapon systems or existing human-in-the-loop capabilities. (2) Operational constraints The specific operational, geographic, temporal, and target-class constraints under which the system will operate. (3) Law of armed conflict compliance certification A written legal opinion from the General Counsel of the Department certifying that the system’s intended use complies with the Law of Armed Conflict, specifically addressing how the system will satisfy the principles of distinction and proportionality. (4) Risk mitigation plan A description of the technical safeguards designed to prevent unauthorized autonomous action, flash wars, or unintended escalation. (5) Human judgment framework A description of the appropriate levels of human judgment that will be exercised, even if the system operates autonomously during the engagement phase. (c) Congressional action (1) Joint resolution of approval A system requested under subsection (a) may only be fielded if Congress enacts a joint resolution of approval specifically naming the system and the authorized mission set. (2) Expedited procedures For the purposes of this section, the term joint resolution means only a joint resolution that is introduced within the 30-day period beginning on the date in which the Secretary submits a request under subsection (a), and the matter after the resolving clause is as follows: That Congress approves the operational deployment of the autonomous weapon system described in the request submitted by the Secretary of Defense on ____., with the blank space being filled with the date the request was submitted to Congress under subsection (a). (3) Referral A joint resolution introduced in the Senate shall be referred to the Committee on Armed Services. A joint resolution in the House of Representatives shall be referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (4) Discharge of committee If the committee to which is referred a joint resolution has not reported such joint resolution (or an identical resolution) at the end of the 20 calendar days after the introduction of such joint resolution, such committee shall be deemed to be discharged from further consideration of such resolution, and such joint resolution shall be placed on the appropriate calendar of the chamber involved. (5) Privileged motion in the Senate (A) Motion to proceed Notwithstanding Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, it is in order at any time after the Committee on Armed Services has reported or has been discharged from consideration of a joint resolution to move to proceed on the consideration of the joint resolution. The motion is privileged and is not debatable. The motion to proceed is not subject to a motion to postpone. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order. (B) Limits on debate Debate on the joint resolution, and on all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the join resolution. A motion further to limit debate is in order and not debatable. (C) No amendments An amendment to the joint resolution, or a motion to postpone, or a motion to proceed to the consideration of other business, or a motion to recommit the joint resolution is not in order. (6) Vote on final passage Immediately following the conclusion of the debate on a joint resolution, and a single quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if requested in accordance with the rules of the appropriate chamber, the vote on final passage of the joint resolution shall occur. (d) Duration and renewal Any authorization granted under this section shall expire 3 years after the date of enactment of the joint resolution of approval, but the Secretary may submit a renewed request under subsection (a) for expedited consideration under subsection (c). The Secretary must certify in such request that system has operated within the approved parameters.