Sec. 865. Expansion of pilot program for access to shared classified commercial infrastructure
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Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall, under an existing pilot program of the Department of Defense described in subsection (b)(1), establish not fewer than six new locations at which small business concerns, contractors of the Department of Defense, and institutions of higher education may access shared commercial classified infrastructure to— expand the access of small business concerns, contractors of the Department of Defense, and institutions of higher education to secret/collateral accredited facilities and sensitive compartmented information facilities for the purpose of providing such concerns, contractors, and institutions, as contractors of the Department, with a facility to securely perform work under contracts involving access to classified information; increase opportunities for small businesses concerns, contractors of the Department of Defense, and institutions of higher education that have been issued a facility clearance to apply for funding from the Government; align the locations of access to shared commercial classified infrastructure under such pilot program under which the Secretary carries out this subsection with the existing facilities of the innovation organizations of the Department of Defense and central locations of the national security innovation base; and identify and address legislative and policy barriers preventing broader use of shared classified commercial infrastructure by small business concerns, contractors of the Department of Defense, and institutions of higher education, including access to required information technology systems, accreditation secret/collateral accredited facilities and sensitive compartmented information facilities, and timelines for such accreditation and use by such concerns, contractors, and institutions.
The pilot program described in this paragraph is a pilot program of the Department of Defense under which there have been establishment of locations at which small business concerns, contractors of the Department of Defense, and institutions of higher education may access shared commercial classified infrastructure. In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall— issue policies governing and guidance on the process and timelines for establishing locations shared commercial classified infrastructure under the pilot program described in paragraph (1), including how such locations may obtain facility clearances and access to relevant classified networks of the Department of Defense; and update and streamline the processes of the Department of Defense for approving agreements for the shared or joint use of commercial classified infrastructure to facilitate the access of small business concerns, contractors of the Department of Defense, and institutions of higher education to classified environments.
Not later than 270 days after the date on which the Secretary of Defense establishes the locations required under subsection (a), and annually thereafter until 2028, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the establishment of such locations under this section, including— a list of all active and open requests for the accreditation of facilities to process classified information made pursuant to the pilot program under which the Secretary established such locations made by an entity described in subsection (a)(1), including the date on which such entity properly submitted such request to the Department and to the relevant facility accreditation agency; metrics on the use of the locations established under such pilot program at which small business concerns, contractors of the Department of Defense, and institutions of higher education may access shared commercial classified infrastructure established, including the number of small businesses concerns, institutions of higher education, contractors of the Department of Defense, and other entities that have accessed shared commercial classified infrastructure at such locations; any actions taken by the Secretary of Defense to update and streamline the processes of the Department of Defense described in subsection (b)(2)(B); and any plans for the establishment of additional such locations under such pilot program pilot program locations that will align with existing innovation organizations of the Department of Defense, geographic areas with limited facilities at which classified information may be accessed, and central locations of the national security innovation base.
In this section— the term small business concern has the meaning given such term under section 3 of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 632 ); the term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001(a) ); and the term shared commercial classified infrastructure means fully managed, shared, infrastructure for accessing classified information and associated services that are operated by entity other than the Department of Defense for the benefit of employees of the Government and employees of contractors of the Department authorized to access such information and who are located in geographic areas with limited facilities at which such individuals may access such information.