Silver Shield Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill creates the Silver Shield program to monitor whether countries that buy U.S. weapons and military services are using them to harm civilians, commit genocide, or violate international humanitarian or human rights law.
• The government would use a wide range of evidence to track weapon use, including satellite imagery, eyewitness interviews, NGO reports, and a public online portal connected to the Human Rights Reporting Gateway.
• If a country is found to have used U.S. equipment to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, or serious violations of international law, it would be declared ineligible for further arms transfers, with a 180-day deadline to reach a determination.
• Before any new weapons sale, export, or transfer, foreign governments would have to sign a written agreement promising not to use U.S. defense articles or services to commit or facilitate violations of international humanitarian or human rights law.
• An external advisory board of academic and non-governmental experts would be set up to help the government improve its investigation methods, research methodology, and information sources for monitoring weapon misuse.
• The amendments to the Arms Export Control Act add civilian safety as an explicit criterion for weapons sales eligibility and make clear that violations of international law cannot count as an authorized purpose for U.S. military sales.