Washington, Feb 12 A top military officer nominated by President Donald Trump to lead US Cyber Command and the National Security Agency has warned that China is aggressively seeking advanced American AI chips to power next-generation weapons systems.
“I agree that China is aggressively seeking to acquire advanced AI chips to accelerate its development of AI-enhanced weapons,” Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd said in written responses to questions from Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Rudd’s remarks came as Warren, the ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pressed him on the national security implications of chip exports to China.
“A senior military officer nominated by President Trump is warning that China is aggressively seeking to acquire advanced AI chips to accelerate its development of AI-enhanced weapons,” Warren said in a statement. “This Administration has failed to take these risks seriously. I will keep working with my colleagues to pass bipartisan legislation to protect US economic and national security.”
In his responses, Rudd underscored the centrality of advanced semiconductors to modern warfare.
“Yes, I agree that advanced AI chips form the foundational building blocks for achieving AI superiority, enabling rapid data processing, superior decision-making, and enhanced predictive capabilities essential to our national security,” he said.
“These chips are integral to modern military applications, from powering next-generation unmanned systems and cyber defence networks to optimising logistics and intelligence analysis on the battlefield.”
He also warned that procurement delays could hurt US military readiness.
“Delays of weeks or months in procuring the latest AI chips would undoubtedly impair Department innovation and lethality by stalling the integration of cutting-edge AI into our weapon systems, from autonomous drones to real-time cyber threat detection platforms,” Rudd said.
“Such bottlenecks create vulnerabilities, allowing the possibility for adversaries to outpace us in deployment speed and technological adaptation, ultimately compromising mission effectiveness and operational readiness.”
Asked whether prioritising access to China’s market over US firms could affect Pentagon procurement, Rudd said, “Such a scenario could impair military procurement, but I am not aware of this occurring.”
On competition in the technology sector, he said, “Robust competition in the technology sector drives innovation, cost efficiencies, and rapid advancements in cybersecurity tools, directly enhancing the success of the Department’s cyber acquisitions by ensuring we procure cutting-edge, adaptable solutions for threat detection and defence.”
“The Department’s cyber program benefits from competition in the technology space, as it spurs innovation in defensive tools, encryption protocols, and threat intelligence systems, leading to more resilient and agile cyber defences,” he added.
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