(The Center Square) — U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, wants to help the intelligence community and small businesses.
Kelly is co-sponsoring a bill known as the Intelligence Community Technology Bridge Act, something the senator said will “enable the intelligence community to streamline acquisition processes and prioritize small business and nontraditional defense contractor solutions.”
In a press release, Kelly said it is critical to bridge the gap between research and real-world use, adding that would ensure the nation’s intelligence community has the access it needs to advanced technologies and tools.
“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.
As outlined in Kelly’s press release, the Intelligence Community Technology Bridge Act would create a fund for the purposes of assisting in transitioning useful IC products from research and development to contracting and production phases. Kelly again mentioned that small business concerns would be given a priority, as well as non-traditional defense contractors.
Besides Kelly, the bill’s cosponsors include U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas; James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, and Mark Warner, D-Virginia.
Pointing to what he called important advancements in intelligence products being made in the private sector, Cornyn said, “Our intelligence agencies and private sector partners must fight bureaucratic delays” through acquisition.
“Our nation is not lacking in innovation or entrepreneurship – it’s lacking in the ability to quickly put these cutting-edge technologies in the hands of the intelligence agencies that keep us safe,” Warner added. “As our adversaries ramp up their tech capabilities, I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to provide the funding needed to level up smart products and services beyond the research and development stage and streamline the process through which our Intelligence Community acquires them.”
Lankford agreed, adding that bad actors and foreign adversaries are not going to wait on the intelligence community to approve acquisitions.
“Our Intelligence Community works hard every day to protect our nation without any recognition or glory, but they are also fighting our own government with the amount of time it takes to process newer technology,” said Lankford.
