This year, the right-to-repair movement got a boost from--surprisingly--big tech, tariffs, and economic downturn. It has been a big year for the right to repair, the movement of advocates pushing for people to be able to fix their own electronics and equipment without manufacturer approval. The issue has gathered broad support from technologists, farmers, military leaders, and politicians on both sides of the aisle. It is popular with just about everyone--except the companies who stand to gain if the parts, instructions, and tools necessary to fix their products remain under lock and key. Three US states passed right-to-repair laws this year, including in heavily Republican states like Texas where the measure received a unanimous vote in both the House and Senate.

A push by military contractors could alter pending legislation that would have empowered servicemembers to repair equipment. Lobbyists are pitching a subscription service instead. Right to repair provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, which would secure funding for the US military in 2026, are likely to be struck from the final language of the bill despite enjoying broad bipartisan support, sources familiar with ongoing negotiations tell WIRED. They say that provisions in the act enabling servicemembers to repair their own equipment are likely to be removed entirely, and replaced with a data-as-a-service subscription plan that benefits defense contractors. The right to repair has become a thorny issue in the military.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Payton May joins'Fox & Friends Weekend' and sheds light on being reunited with his former military service dog Yyacob. The Senate voted to pass the 895 billion annual defense policy bill that includes a pay raise for U.S. servicemembers and a provision that restricts transgender care. The bill passed 85 to 14, and now heads to President Biden's desk for his signature. The legislation scored a more bipartisan vote in the Senate than it did in the House, where more Democrats voted no on the legislation in protest of the transgender provisions. The bill prohibits military health care provider Tricare from paying for transgender care "that could result in sterilization" for children under 18.

The Defense Innovation Board, a panel of 16 prominent technologists advising the Pentagon, today voted to approve AI ethics principles for the Department of Defense. The report includes 12 recommendations for how the U.S. military can apply ethics in the future for both combat and non-combat AI systems. The principles are broken into five main principles: responsible, equitable, traceable, reliable, and governable. The principles state that humans should remain responsible for "developments, deployments, use and outcomes," and AI systems used by the military should be free of bias that can lead to unintended human harm. AI deployed by the DoD should also be reliable, governable, and use "transparent and auditable methodologies, data sources, and design procedure and documentation."

Editor's Note: This article was submitted in response to the call for ideas issued by the co-chairs of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, Eric Schmidt and Robert Work. It addresses the second part of the second question on AI expertise and skill sets for the national security workforce. The race to harness artificial intelligence for military dominance is on -- and China might win. Whoever wins the AI race will secure critical technological advantages that allow them to shape global politics. The United States brings considerable strengths -- an unparalleled university system, a culture of innovation, and the only military that bestrides the globe -- to this contest.