Executive Order 14409 of June 2, 2026 Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security

Executive Order 14409 of June 2, 2026, titled "Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security," outlines the United States' policy to foster AI innovation while simultaneously addressing national security concerns and enhancing cybersecurity. The order emphasizes a collaborative approach with the private sector, aiming to modernize information systems, protect intellectual property, and cultivate advanced AI capabilities without imposing overly burdensome regulations.

Purpose of the Executive Order (Section 1)

• The United States aims to maintain its global leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by encouraging innovation and accelerating responsible AI adoption across government and industry, specifically by reducing bureaucratic constraints.
• Advanced AI capabilities, while strengthening the nation, introduce new national security considerations that necessitate coordinated action across executive departments and agencies.
• The policy of the United States is to promote AI innovation and security through collaboration with the private sector to modernize and harden information systems against threats, protect American ingenuity and intellectual property, and cultivate advanced AI-enabled capabilities.
• The Administration commits to an "America First cybersecurity" effort to enhance national security and global AI dominance.

Upgrading American Systems for Advanced AI (Section 2)

This section outlines several directives with specific deadlines, constituting key compliance requirements for various agencies:

• Within 30 days of June 2, 2026:
  • The Committee on National Security Systems must prioritize the cyber defense of National Security Systems (as defined in 44 U.S.C. 3552(b)(6)(A)).
  • The Secretary of War must prioritize the cyber defense of Department of War information systems.
  • The Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Director of CISA, in consultation with OMB, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and the National Cyber Director, shall release Binding Operational Directives and other guidance to:
    • Expedite and prioritize the cyber defense of civilian Federal Government information systems.
    • Establish or expand Federal programs and cybersecurity services that enhance AI-enabled defensive tools.
    • Facilitate access to cybersecurity tools and services, including covered frontier models, for agencies, State and local authorities, and critical infrastructure operators (e.g., rural hospitals, community banks, local utilities).
  • The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the National Cyber Director, the Secretary of War (through the NSA Director), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (through the CISA Director), shall form an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse. This clearinghouse, in voluntary collaboration with the AI industry and critical infrastructure operators, will coordinate vulnerability scanning, validate vulnerabilities, and prioritize remediation and patch distribution.
  • The Director of OMB, in coordination with the National Cyber Director and the CISA Director, shall determine if Federal grant programs have available funding for advanced AI vulnerability detection.
• Within 60 days of June 2, 2026:
  • The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall expand the United States Tech Force Information Cybersecurity Specialist hiring and placement pathways.

Secure Frontier Model Deployment (Section 3)

This section details the development of a framework for assessing and securely deploying advanced AI models, with a key compliance deadline:

• Within 60 days of June 2, 2026:
  • The Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War (through the NSA Director), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (through the CISA Director), in consultation with the White House Chief of Staff (through the National Cyber Director), the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST), and the Secretary of Commerce (through the NIST Director), shall:
    • Develop and maintain a classified benchmarking process to assess the advanced cyber capabilities of AI models and determine the threshold for designation as a "covered frontier model." The NSA Director, in consultation with specified officials, will make this determination, sharing assessments with AI developers as appropriate.
    • Design a voluntary framework with AI developers allowing them to:
      • Engage the Federal Government to determine if models under development meet the "covered frontier model" designation.
      • Provide the Federal Government with access to covered frontier models for up to 30 days before release to other trusted partners, subject to confidentiality, cybersecurity, insider-risk, and intellectual property protections.
      • Collaborate with the Federal Government to select trusted partners for early access to covered frontier models to promote secure innovation and strengthen critical infrastructure cybersecurity.
• The order explicitly states that this section does not authorize mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models.

Protection Against Criminal Actors (Section 4)

• The Attorney General is directed to prioritize the enforcement of specific federal criminal laws (18 U.S.C. 1028, 18 U.S.C. 1030, 18 U.S.C. 1343) and other applicable Federal criminal laws.
• This enforcement targets individuals who utilize AI to illegally access or damage computers without authorization, or who use AI in conjunction with such illegal access to further other crimes, including breaching IT systems or using AI agents for unlawful data access.

General Provisions (Section 5)

• The order clarifies that it does not impair the authority of executive departments or agencies, or the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget related to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
• Implementation is subject to applicable law and the availability of appropriations.
• This order does not create any enforceable right or benefit, substantive or procedural, against the United States or its entities.
• The Department of War will bear the costs for the publication of this order.