This bill establishes comprehensive requirements for the Department of Defense regarding the development and deployment of autonomous weapon systems (AWS). Its primary goal is to ensure that human commanders and operators maintain ultimate human responsibility over the use of force by these systems, meaning they can understand, supervise, intervene in, or terminate their actions and ensure compliance with all applicable laws. Key provisions mandate that AWS designs include mechanisms for human supervision, intervention, and fail-safe controls, providing operators with sufficient information to oversee system behavior. Before fielding, each AWS must undergo rigorous review and certification by the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, including independent adversarial testing to assess vulnerabilities. The Secretary of Defense is also required to publish testing standards for artificial intelligence components. To enhance operational oversight, the bill mandates the establishment of formal training pipelines for operators and commanders, focusing on human-machine teaming and operations in contested environments. Furthermore, it requires the creation of a centralized repository for reporting and analyzing incidents involving AWS, such as malfunctions or unintended behaviors, to identify systemic risks and promote institutional learning. This repository will model aviation safety reporting systems. Finally, the legislation establishes a Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. This office will be responsible for developing policies, overseeing the integration of mitigation practices, coordinating assessments of civilian harm incidents, and reporting to Congress, thereby reinforcing ethical and legal considerations in the use of advanced defense technologies.