Kelly, Cornyn, Warner, Lankford Bill to Foster Intelligence Community Partnerships Signed into Law
Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mark Warner (D-VA), and James Lankford (R-OK) released the following statements after their Enable IC Partnerships Act, which would encourage public and private partnerships with the Intelligence Community to streamline acquisitions and adoption of cutting-edge technologies and support workforce development, was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act:
“Our intelligence community is stronger when they’re given the tools needed to anticipate national security threats,” said Kelly, member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. “This bipartisan effort will make it easier for our intelligence agencies to leverage partnerships to secure state-of-the-art technology and talent, ensuring the U.S. maintains an edge over adversaries.”
“As Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I’m acutely aware of the challenges our Intelligence Community faces to combat the threats posed by our adversaries,” said Warner, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. “As our adversaries rapidly advance their technological capabilities, it’s crucial that we streamline our processes in order to keep up. This law will help give the IC the support, funding, and flexibility needed better protect our national security.”
“Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and data sciences are on pace to revolutionize intelligence gathering and analysis,” said Cornyn. “By fostering IC public-private partnerships, we can better equip our Intelligence Community with the tools and cutting-edge technology that will strengthen our national security.”
“Innovation is key to protecting America’s cybersecurity and national security,” said Lankford. “As adversaries from across the globe attempt to undermine the United States, our intelligence community needs to be prepared with the technology, training, and programs to stay one step ahead.”
Background:
In light of global threats to national security, acquisition leaders in the Intelligence Community must be able to explore the use of public and private capital partnerships to secure technological advantages for the intelligence community through the identification, development, and transfer of promising technologies to full-scale programs capable of meeting IC requirements.
This legislation will encourage acquisition leaders to explore partnerships with federal lending agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Strategic Capital, and private capital partnerships. It will also support IC talent and workforce development in technology-related fields, including computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and others.
