NDAA includes directive for DOD to prioritize use of AI for mental health needs

The roughly $900 billion defense policy bill approved by House lawmakers on Wednesday evening includes a directive for the Pentagon to explore the use of artificial intelligence capabilities to support the mental health of military personnel. 

According to a legislative summary of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act released by the House Armed Services Committee, the measure improves servicemembers’ access to mental health services by, in part, calling for the Defense Department “to prioritize the development and incorporation of artificial intelligence to keep pace with the constantly evolving nature of mental health needs across the force.”

Although the 3,086 page bill does not directly include this mandate, the House Armed Services Committee’s report accompanying the measure includes “items of special interest” for the legislation’s health care provisions section that said the panel “believes the rate of military suicide is unacceptably high and that a new approach is required to solve this pervasive problem.” 

“The committee is aware of ongoing efforts to address and mitigate mental health concerns that are unique to the environments military personnel operate and live within; however, the committee also acknowledges that an increased modernization effort is needed to approach the evolving nature of mental health and suicide across the force,” it added.

The lawmakers specifically referenced the U.S. Air Force’s Suicide Analytic Variable Evaluation System — or SAVES — that the military branch has been piloting alonside Accenture Federal Services, which uses AI capabilities to identify servicemembers in crisis.

AFS has said that SAVES “analyzes data to identify at-risk individuals based on factors like working conditions, mental health history, and personal crises,” and that it “not only predicts risks but also prompts timely interventions, such as therapy, adjusted mission schedules, or family time.”

The report accompanying the FY26 NDAA said the panel “strongly encourages the Secretary of the Air Force to prioritize research and development of tools that incorporate the use of artificial intelligence-enabled tools to identify and facilitate early intervention with at-risk personnel.”

A separate item of special interest in the committee’s report directs DOD to brief its members “no later than February 1, 2026, on current Department suicide prevention efforts,” including providing “data on suicide rates by service, progress in implementing independent review recommendations, evaluation of evidence-based programs, efforts to reduce stigma around behavioral health care, and improve unit-level leadership training.” 

House Armed Services Committee members’ stated support for the Pentagon’s use of emerging capabilities to prevent servicemember suicides comes as the Department of Veterans Affairs has notably embraced innovative technologies to better support veterans in crisis.

As part of an ongoing project, Nextgov/FCW has been reporting on VA’s use and adoption of AI to help direct resources to veterans at risk of self-harm. These include predictive algorithms designed to identity veterans at the highest risk of suicide, as well as backend AI-based training for Veteran Crisis Line responders. 

Earlier this year, House and Senate committee reports accompanying each chamber’s FY26 funding bill for the VA also encouraged the department to use AI and other technologies to identify veterans experiencing suicidal ideation. 

The House Appropriations Committee’s June 2025 report said, in part, that “there is a significant need to improve early suicide indicators and detection using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that improve operational efficiency and effectiveness throughout veteran service delivery.”

Veteran suicide numbers have remain largely unchanged since 2008, with approximately 6,500 retired servicemembers take their own lives each year. While the suicide rate among military personnel remains lower – DOD reported 523 suicides across its total force in 2023 – the numbers have been gradually increasing over the past decade-plus.