H.R. 5215: SHIELD Act of 2025

HR5215, the SHIELD Act of 2025, tells the Secretary of Defense to stand up a pilot program no later than 120 days after enactment to train members of the Armed Forces on digital information safety. The pilot would last for one year after it begins, making this a time-limited test rather than a permanent new training requirement. That matters because the bill is narrowly focused on gathering evidence before the Pentagon decides whether to expand it.

The curriculum is unusually specific. It must teach participants how to identify fact-based journalism, opinion-based journalism, disinformation, conspiracy theories, and hate-based ideologies, specifically including antisemitism and white supremacy. It also covers how to assess the credibility of digital news and information sources, protect personal information, understand the effects of posting or sharing personal, incorrect, or bias-based information, and recognize information-based threats to individuals, private property, and the security, property, or goals of the Department of Defense.

The bill also tries to make the pilot useful as a real-world test. The Secretary of Defense must choose a geographically and demographically diverse sample of Armed Forces members in a number large enough to produce meaningful feedback. Training must be delivered in-person, virtually, and in hybrid format in equal amounts, so Congress can later compare participant engagement and information retention across all three methods instead of relying on guesswork.

After the pilot ends, the Secretary must survey both participants and instructors, then send a report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees no later than 180 days after termination. That report must compare in-person, virtual, and hybrid delivery, identify the most effective method, and recommend how often troops should attend a permanent version and how often the curriculum should be updated. The bill does not include a funding amount, so the Pentagon would have to absorb the work with existing resources unless Congress adds money later.