Pentagon restricts public access to weapons testing reports

The U.S. Department of Defence has removed more than two decades of unclassified weapons testing reports from its public website, citing concerns that artificial intelligence could enable foreign adversaries to identify vulnerabilities in U.S. military capabilities.

The Pentagon said Amy Henninger, director of its weapons testing office, ordered the restriction on July 30 as a "proactive measure designed to strengthen U.S. operational security posture," Bloomberg reports. 

According to the department, advances in artificial intelligence and data analysis could allow adversaries to combine publicly available information into detailed assessments of weaknesses in U.S. defence systems and critical infrastructure. As a result, the reports are now accessible only to personnel with a standard U.S. security clearance.

The annual reports, published over the past 25 years, have been one of the primary official sources of unclassified information on the testing and evaluation of major U.S. weapons programs. Reports by the Government Accountability Office have also served as a key source of oversight, although the Pentagon has previously blocked the release of a GAO report on the F-35 fighter program.

The decision has drawn criticism from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Warren argued that limiting public access to the reports could reduce oversight and increase the risk of costly failures in military programs.

Warren had previously asked Henninger during congressional hearings whether the weapons testing office would continue to keep the public informed about testing progress in as much detail as possible, receiving an affirmative response.

By Sabina Mammadli