A key US Senate intelligence panel has advanced a sweeping intelligence authorisation bill that includes provisions to sustain American intelligence support for Ukraine
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WASHINGTON — A key US Senate intelligence panel has advanced a sweeping intelligence authorisation bill that includes provisions to sustain American intelligence support for Ukraine, deepen cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies including India, and tighten oversight of artificial intelligence exports amid rising concerns over China and Russia.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Thursday approved the Intelligence Authorisation Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2027, with several amendments.
“I continue to fight for the resources and authorities our intelligence personnel, thousands of whom are Coloradans, need to protect our national security,” said Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado.
He said the legislation would ensure intelligence agencies could continue their “critical work, which is the backbone of our national security”. Bennet also highlighted bipartisan support for provisions aimed at maintaining US intelligence backing for Ukraine.
The bill requires the US Intelligence Community to maintain “vital US intelligence support to Ukraine during ongoing hostilities” and to “adapt — but not abandon — intelligence support for Ukraine if a peace deal is reached”.
It further mandates that the US resume full intelligence support if Russia violates any future peace agreement. According to the committee summary, the measure is designed to remove ambiguity over whether Washington would continue intelligence cooperation with Kyiv after a negotiated settlement.
Bennet argued that Ukraine’s battlefield performance had altered the strategic balance in Europe.
“As a result of US and allied investments, Ukraine has substantially halted Russia’s momentum on the battlefield and developed a capacity to conduct warfare unlike any NATO member state,” he said.
He added that Ukraine’s forces were now “postured to contribute to US and NATO efforts to deter and help defeat any future Russian aggression in Europe”.
The legislation also directs the Director of National Intelligence to strengthen intelligence cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand, as well as regional partners such as India and Vietnam.
According to the bill summary, the expanded cooperation is intended to “help deter aggression, reinforce regional stability, and reduce the risk of miscalculation”.
Another provision focuses on the growing national security risks linked to artificial intelligence technologies. The bill requires the Director of National Intelligence to provide an assessment before advanced AI technologies are approved for export or before the US government signs AI agreements with foreign governments.
The assessment must examine a country’s export controls, ties to adversaries such as China and Russia, and the risk of sensitive technology being transferred onward.
The committee report accompanying the legislation also directs intelligence agencies to prioritise “sustained investment in intelligence diplomacy”.
Among other measures include tighter oversight of foreign cyber actors, restrictions on intelligence personnel participating in prediction markets linked to nonpublic information, and reviews of foreign-linked real estate transactions near US intelligence and military facilities.