Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday visited Moscow to discuss closer cooperation between the US and Russia in the fight against ISIS. Kerry is reportedly meeting with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss ways to improve coordination in the fight inside Syria. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Thursday the Defense Department’s only coordination with Russia, right now, is through the memorandum of understanding for flight safety. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has repeatedly said Russia is not only targeting ISIS, but it’s also bolstering the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, Cook said Carter also has “always maintained if the Russians are prepared to do the right thing, that would be a good thing.” Carter supports Kerry’s efforts in discussing Russia’s role in the fight and “we’re waiting to see what’s going on,” said Cook. But, at this point “it’s not clear” if there even will be any changes in the future, he added. (See also: Russia Calls on US to Coordinate Strikes in Syria.)
Concerned about how artificial intelligence might be used to generate target lists or operational plans, lawmakers want to expand limits on autonomous weapons to address mission planning and target selection. The House Armed Services Committee's version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization bill would direct the Pentagon to revise Defense…