CLEARANCE BRIDGE PILOT PROGRAM.

SEC. 882. [10 U.S.C. 1564 note] SECURITY CLEARANCE BRIDGE PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In General.—The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, shall conduct a pilot program to allow the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to sponsor the personal security clearances of the employees of innovative technology companies that are performing a contract of the Department of Defense while the Government completes the adjudication of the facility clearance application of such a innovative technology company. (b) Additional Requirements.— (1) Personal security clearance authority.— (A) In general.—Under the pilot program, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency may nominate and sponsor the personal security clearances of the employees of an innovative technology company. (B) Limitation.—Under the pilot program, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency may sponsor the personal security clearances of employees of not more than 75 innovative technology companies. (2) Adjudication of the facility clearance application.—Any adjudication of a facility clearance application of an innovative technology company described in subsection (a) shall include an assessment and mitigation of foreign ownership, control, or influence of the innovative technology company, as applicable. (c) Clearance Transfer.— (1) In general.—Not later than 30 days after an innovative technology company is granted facility clearance, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency shall transfer any personal clearances of employees of the innovative technology company held by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency under the pilot program back to the innovative technology company. (2) Denial of facility clearance.—Not later than 10 days after an innovative technology company is denied facility clearance, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency shall release any personal clearances of employees of the innovative technology company held by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency under the pilot program. (d) Participant Selection.—The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and the service acquisition executive of the military department concerned (as such terms are defined, respectively, in section 101 of title 10, United States Code), shall select innovative technology companies to participate in the pilot program. (e) Sunset.—The pilot program shall terminate on December 31, 2028. (f) Definitions.—In this section: (1) Facility clearance.—The term “facility clearance” has the meaning given the term “Facility Clearance” in section 95.5 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation. (2) Foreign ownership, control, or influence.—The term “foreign ownership, control, or influence” has the meaning given in section 847 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116-92; 133 Stat. 1505; 10 U.S.C. 4819 note). (3) Innovative technology company.—The term “innovative technology company” means a nontraditional defense contractor (as defined in section 3014 of title 10, United States Code) that— (A) provides goods or services related to— (i) one or more of the 14 critical technology areas described in the memorandum by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering issued on February 1, 2022, entitled “USD(R&E) Technology Vision for an Era of Competition”; or (ii) information technology, software, or hardware that is unavailable from any other entity that possesses a facility clearance; and (B) is selected by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering under subsection (d) to participate in the pilot program. (4) Personal security clearance.—The term “personal security clearance” means the security clearance of an individual who has received approval from the Department of Defense to access classified information. (5) Pilot program.—The term “pilot program” means the pilot program established under subsection (a).