A bill to require the Secretary of Defense assess and, as appropriate, implement open technical standards for digital content provenance, and for other purposes.

This bill requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a roadmap by June 1, 2026, for the potential adoption and integration of digital content provenance capabilities across the Department of Defense (DoD). The roadmap must identify and assess current and proposed open technical standards for verifying the history and origin of publicly released DoD digital media assets. It will also outline strategic objectives for securing and authenticating public-facing content, describe roles and responsibilities, and explore standardized processes for embedding and verifying content credentials. Furthermore, the roadmap needs to detail potential acquisition approaches, develop metrics for effectiveness, and establish mechanisms for stakeholder coordination with industry and academia. Finally, the Secretary of Defense must provide a briefing to congressional defense committees by July 1, 2026, on the roadmap's initial findings, stakeholder engagement, and planned next steps.