Defense bill addresses secure phones, AI training, cyber troop mental health

The Defense Department would require that senior leaders have secure mobile phones, that personnel would get cybersecurity training that includes a focus on artificial intelligence and that cyber troops would have access to mental health services under a compromise annual defense policy bill released over the weekend.

The deal between House and Senate negotiators on the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a massive piece of legislation that runs the gamut of the Pentagon, including a record-breaking $901 billion topline figure. It also has a grab bag of cybersecurity policy provisions. The House could take it up as soon as this week.

The legislation states that the secretary of defense “shall ensure” that wireless mobile phones the department provides to its senior leaders and others working on sensitive national security missions meets a list of cybersecurity requirements, such as data encryption. A Pentagon watchdog last week published long-awaited examinations of the Signalgate incident that enveloped Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 

Read more at CyberScoop