Kilmer Bill Supports Sharing of Information Technology Knowledge Between Department of Defense and Private Industry
Representative Derek Kilmer introduced legislation today that will help both the Department of Defense and private industry by strengthening lines of communication. The Information Technology Exchange Program Act of 2013, a bipartisan bill sponsored with Republican Representative Jim Bridenstine (R-OK), would continue a program that allows employees from the private sector or academia to temporarily work for the Department of Defense and Department of Defense employees to work in the private sector. This will help the Department of Defense to modernize and protect our nation’s information technology infrastructure and will help benefit private industry and academic institutions when developing tools and products to make lasting and significant contributions to the national defense.
This technical exchange of ideas, cultures, and expertise will help modernize the Department of Defense by exposing its employees to best practices from the constantly changing and evolving informational technology sector, especially in key areas like cloud computing, cyber security, information technology consolidation, network services, information technology project and data management, and enterprise architecture. Industry will benefit from learning how the Department of Defense operates, how it can better develop tools and products, and how to navigate and help change cumbersome Department of Defense systems.
“Our country faces serious cyber threats. In order to do everything we can to defend ourselves, we need our military to have access to the most up-to-date private sector talent and technology,” said Representative Derek Kilmer. “Our private tech companies are the best in the world. This program promotes an exchange of expertise to help private industry understand how to develop innovative tools and products and help our country defend itself in a way that is efficient and at no extra cost to taxpayers.”
Trey Hodgkins, Senior Vice President for TechAmerica, an association for the information and communications technology industry, said, “ITEP is a great program that holds significant potential to help industry and government do a better job by establishing stronger lines of communication. ITEP can help deliver better understanding of the factors and decisions each party makes while developing a contract RFP, responding to that RFP and then executing and performing after award. An exchange of personnel improves communication and will help improve efficiencies for mission success and drive best value for the taxpayer. TechAmerica is pleased to support the reauthorization of this program.”