(The Center Square) — U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, has secured what he calls state and national security priorities in the annual intelligence bill.
Kelly said the Intelligence Authorization Act includes measures to strengthen counterintelligence briefings for military personnel, improve coordination between the U.S. and Mexico to combat drug trafficking, ensure emerging technology is provided to the U.S. intelligence community, and improve oversight of classified access decisions across administrations.
“For Arizona, I worked to protect the border against cartel drone surveillance and strengthen coordination with Mexico to counter drug trafficking,” said Kelly in a press release.
Arizona is no stranger to drug overdoses, especially those that involve fentanyl. The Focus on Fentanyl website from Maricopa County says “fentanyl is now the deadliest drug in Arizona” and points out that even a few grains of fentanyl are strong enough to kill an adult male. While fentanyl may be manufactured elsewhere and shipped to places south of the border, special interest groups and members of Congresssay fentanyl is coming into the United States through Mexico.
The Senate Select Committee approved the IAA with bipartisan support. The vote was15-2.
“These are the kinds of smart, forward-looking investments that keep our country safe and give us an edge over our adversaries,” said Kelly.
Introduced by the senator and others in 2023, the bipartisan No Work with Adversaries Act prevents China and Russia from acquiring U.S. military knowledge.
“The United States military is the best in the world not just because of our technological advantage, but because our training and tactics are second to none,” said Kelly in a 2023 press release. “Our enemies know this and are targeting American servicemembers and veterans to gain insights into that training. This must be stopped.”
The Intelligence Community Technology Bridge Act is another bipartisan measure that Kelly introduced in June 2025, along with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, and Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and James Lankford of Oklahoma. As reportedby The Center Square, the measure will enable the intelligence community to streamline acquisition processes and prioritize small businesses and nontraditional defense contractor solutions.
“By cutting unnecessary red tape and accelerating innovation, we can better support small businesses and innovators, get cutting-edge technologies into the hands of the intelligence community faster, and strengthen our national security advantage,” said Kelly in June.
The Counternarcotics Enhancement Act and Border Drone Assessment Act are also bipartisan.
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