Kelly Scores Arizona, National Security Wins in Senate-Passed Intelligence Authorization Act
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, secured Arizona and national security wins in the annual intelligence bill, the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, that the Senate passed as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“With the Intelligence Authorization Act included now in our national defense bill, we’re making critical investments to protect Americans at a time when threats from adversaries like China and Russia are becoming more sophisticated,” said Kelly. “This legislation strengthens our intelligence agencies’ ability to track and counter those threats and ensures that sensitive intelligence remains secure. For Arizona, I worked to defend our border from cartel-operated drones and to improve coordination with Mexico to disrupt drug trafficking networks, strengthening our national security.”
He continued, “In addition to these priorities, the bill includes major reforms to improve efficiency across the Intelligence Community, restrict contracts with Chinese military biotech firms, and strengthen our artificial intelligence capabilities. It also increases transparency around Iran’s nuclear activities and supports the intelligence workforce through new protections and health reporting standards. Together, we’re better preparing our intelligence agencies to stay ahead of our adversaries and keep Americans safe.”
The Intelligence Authorization Act includes the following Kelly-led provisions:
- Kelly-secured provision that builds on his No Work with Adversaries Act, requiring that servicemembers get access to counterintelligence briefings that better prepare them to recognize and guard against efforts by adversaries like China to harvest sensitive U.S. military tactics, techniques, and procedures.
- A Kelly-authored amendment to establish Congressional oversight of accesses granted to sensitive Intelligence Community (IC) facilities or information without a security clearance.
- The Counternarcotics Enhancement Actto improve coordination between the U.S. and Mexico in combatting transnational drug trafficking networks and supporting intelligence sharing to counter the flow of fentanyl and other opioids.
- The Intelligence Community Technology Bridge Act to establish a dedicated fund supporting the integration of proven emerging technologies into the Intelligence Community’s mission, helping agencies adapt quickly to new threats.
- The Drone Threat Assessment Act to direct a government-wide review of drone threats along the U.S. border and establish a strategy to protect border security infrastructure from surveillance and disruption.
The bill also focuses on the following key areas:
- Significantly reforms and improves efficiencies and effectiveness within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the broader Intelligence Community.
- Prohibits the Intelligence Community from contracting with Chinese military companies engaged in biotechnology research, development, or manufacturing.
- Codifies tour and travel restrictions for Chinese, Russian Iranian and North Korean diplomats in the United States.
- Improves the Intelligence Community’s artificial intelligence capabilities and capacity and establish guidelines for the IC’s procurement and use of artificial intelligence.
- Increases transparency to Congress regarding Iran’s enrichment activities, including decisions to weaponize uranium.
- Requires the Intelligence Community to develop a policy for sharing biotechnological threats with U.S. agencies, allies, and private-sector partners.
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to identify sites for deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.
- Establishes a program to support IC efforts to acquire and integrate emerging technologies proven to meet mission needs.
- Requires any Intelligence Community element with information regarding Iranian lethal threats to United States persons to provide the information to the FBI and to any person responsible for protecting the intended victim.
- Prohibits Intelligence Community contractors from collecting or selling Intelligence Community personnel location data.
- Supports the Intelligence Community workforce by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to issue standard guidelines for Intelligence Community personnel to document and report Anomalous Health Incidents.
- Enhances protections for Intelligence Community whistleblowers.
- Requires the Director of National Intelligence to enhance efforts to counter narcotics trafficking with the Government of Mexico.
- Promotes transparency by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a declassification review and publish intelligence relating to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
