Comment by Mark T. Esper

The United States, on the other hand, will offer a vision of AI that upholds American values and protects our fundamental belief in liberty and human rights. We will harness the potential of AI to create a force fit for our time. We believe there's tremendous opportunity to enhance a wide range of the department's capabilities, from the back office to the front line, and we will do this while being recognized as the world leader in military ethics by developing principles for using AI in a lawful and ethical manner. We don't approach AI, or any technology for that matter, as a panacea. We also see it as a tool to free up valuable resources and manpower so our war fighters and our operators can focus on higher priority tasks in a more efficient and more effective manner. Now while technology is constantly changing, our commitment to the law, to ethics and to duty does not.
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AI Verified The quote directly discusses AI in a defense/military policy context and emphasizes lawful, ethical, and responsible use of AI, which matches the full statement about promoting responsible use of AI in defense policy. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 5d ago
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AI Verified The quote supports responsible AI in defense by stressing "principles for using AI in a lawful and ethical manner" and a commitment "to the law, to ethics and to duty" while using AI in military capabilities. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 5d ago

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AI Verified ai_verified: The official Defense Department transcript for Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper’s Nov. 5, 2019 remarks attributes the speech to him, and the quoted passage appears there verbatim across consecutive lines 247-253, including the sentences about American values, military ethics, AI not being a panacea, and the commitment to law, ethics, and duty. ([defense.gov](https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2011960/remarks-by-secretary-esper-at-national-security-commission-on-artificial-intell/)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 5d ago
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