I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7275 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a National Security Innovation 

Network, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 18, 2020 

Ms. SLOTKIN (for herself and Mr. MITCHELL) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a National 

Security Innovation Network, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Security In5 novation Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. NATIONAL SECURITY INNOVATION NETWORK. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Chapter 139 of title 10, 

8 United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 

9 2358b the following new section: 


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1 ‘‘§ 2358c. National Security Innovation Network 

2 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 

3 shall establish a program office to be known as the ‘Na4 tional Security Innovation Network’ (referred to in this 

5 section as the ‘Network’). The Secretary shall establish 

6 the Network within the Office of the Under Secretary of 

7 Defense for Research and Engineering or within the office 

8 of another principal staff assistant to the Secretary. 

9 ‘‘(b) HEAD OF NETWORK.—The head of the Network 

10 shall be an individual designated by the Secretary of De11 fense. 

12 ‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities of the 

13 Network shall be— 

14 ‘‘(1) to maintain a network throughout the 

15 United States that connects the Department of De16 fense to academic institutions, commercial accelera17 tors and incubators, commercial innovation hubs, 

18 and nonprofit entities with missions and capabilities 

19 relating to national security innovation; 

20 ‘‘(2) to expand the national security innovation 

21 base through integrated, project-based problem solv22 ing that leads to novel concept and solution develop23 ment for the Department and facilitates dual-use 

24 ventures with national security and commercial util25 ity; 


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1 ‘‘(3) to work in coordination with the Under 

2 Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, 

3 other principal staff assistants within the Office of 

4 the Secretary, and the Secretaries of the military de5 partments to create new pathways and models of na6 tional security service that facilitate term, tem7 porary, and permanent employment within the De8 partment for— 

9 ‘‘(A) students and graduates in the fields 

10 of science, technology, arts, engineering, and 

11 mathematics; 

12 ‘‘(B) early-career and mid-career tech13 nologists; and 

14 ‘‘(C) entrepreneurs for purposes of project15 based work; 

16 ‘‘(4) to accelerate the development of innovative 

17 solutions to complex problems, particularly through 

18 dual-use ventures, and facilitate partnerships be19 tween early stage ventures and the Department of 

20 Defense, by increasing transparency, and access to 

21 the Department for early stage ventures with the 

22 goal of improved acquisition and procurement out23 comes; 

24 ‘‘(5) to generate novel concepts and solutions to 

25 problems and requirements articulated by entities 


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1 within the Department through programs that com2 bine end users from the Department, students and 

3 faculty from academic institutions, and the early4 stage venture community; 

5 ‘‘(6) to establish physical locations throughout 

6 the United States through which the Network will 

7 connect with academic partners and private funding 

8 sources for the purposes of carrying out the respon9 sibilities described in paragraphs (1) through (5); 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(7) to carry out such other activities as the 

12 Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the head 

13 of the Network, determines to be relevant to such 

14 responsibilities. 

15 ‘‘(d) AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out this section, the 

16 Secretary of Defense may use the following authorities: 

17 ‘‘(1) Section 1599g of title 10, United States 

18 Code, relating to public-private talent exchanges. 

19 ‘‘(2) Section 2368 of such title, relating to Cen20 ters for Science, Technology, and Engineering Part21 nerships. 

22 ‘‘(3) Section 2374a of such title, relating to 

23 prizes for advanced technology achievements. 

24 ‘‘(4) Section 2521 of such title, relating to the 

25 Manufacturing Technology Program. 


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1 ‘‘(5) Section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Tech2 nology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) 

3 and section 6305 of title 31, United States Code, re4 lating to cooperative research and development 

5 agreements. 

6 ‘‘(6) Such other authorities as the Secretary 

7 considers appropriate. 

8 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

10 $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 and each fiscal year 

11 thereafter.’’. 

12 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

13 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

14 after the item relating to section 2358b the following new 

15 item: 

‘‘2358c. National Security Innovation Network.’’. 

16 SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION. 

17 (a) TRANSFERS FROM OTHER DOD ELEMENTS.— 

18 The Secretary of Defense may transfer to the National 

19 Security Innovation Network established under section 

20 2358c of title 10, United States Code (as added by sub21 section (a)), such personnel, resources, and functions of 

22 other organizations and elements of the Department of 

23 Defense as the Secretary considers appropriate to carry 

24 out such section. 

25 (b) PLAN REQUIRED.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec3 retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 

4 defense committees a plan for establishing the Na5 tional Security Innovation Network under section 

6 2358c of title 10, United States Code (as added by 

7 subsection (a)). 

8 (2) ELEMENTS.—The plan required under 

9 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

10 (A) Plans for the funding, integration, and 

11 evaluation of the Network, including plans 

12 for— 

13 (i) future funding and administrative 

14 support of the Network; 

15 (ii) integration of the Network into 

16 the programming, planning, budgeting, 

17 and execution process of the Department 

18 of Defense; 

19 (iii) integration of the Network with 

20 the other programs and initiatives within 

21 the Department that have missions relat22 ing to innovation and outreach to the 

23 early-stage venture and academic commu24 nities; and 


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1 (iv) performance indicators by which 

2 the program will be assessed and evalu3 ated. 

4 (B) A description of any additional au5 thorities the Secretary may require to effec6 tively carry out section 2358c of title 10, 

7 United States Code (as added by subsection 

8 (a)). 

9 (C) Plans for any transfers the Secretary 

10 intends to carry out under subsection (a) of this 

11 section. 

Æ 


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