The recently passed 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has introduced a groundbreaking initiative that furthers Nooks’ mission to facilitate how small businesses and institutions of higher learning access classified environments. Known as the “Pilot Program for Access to Shared Classified Commercial Infrastructure” (Sec. 874), this legislation is designed to lower barriers and reduce costs, enabling organizations such as Nooks to contribute to critical national security efforts. Here’s what this means for organizations like yours and how Nooks is uniquely positioned to lead in this space.

Breaking Down the Pilot Program

This new pilot program, required to be launched within 180 days of the NDAA’s enactment, seeks to address longstanding challenges in accessing and maintaining classified infrastructure. The program aims to:

1. Expand Access: Provide small businesses and universities with easier access to classified facilities, including Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs).
2. Reduce Costs and Red Tape: Streamline the accreditation and certification process to alleviate administrative and financial burdens on smaller organizations.
3. Level the Playing Field: Open more opportunities for these organizations to compete for classified contracts by mitigating access constraints.
4. Identify and Remove Policy Barriers: Examine current obstacles to shared classified infrastructure and prototype solutions for broader use.

This initiative signals a significant push toward modernizing how classified workspaces are managed and accessed, fostering a more efficient defense ecosystem.

Why This Matters

For decades, classified environments have been cost-prohibitive and administratively complex for small businesses and academia to access. This new pilot program makes classified workspaces more accessible and manageable. Solutions highlighted in the NDAA tap into the innovative potential of organizations previously sidelined due to high barriers of entry, ensuring that the Department of Defense (DoD) can leverage the best technologies and ideas to strengthen national security. 

However, it’s important to understand that not just any organization can step in to provide such secure environments. Establishing and managing classified spaces is an incredibly complex undertaking, requiring a level of expertise, infrastructure, and authorization that only a select few companies possess.

How Nooks Fits In

At Nooks, we are at the forefront of this shift, pioneering Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) to provide the solutions outlined in the NDAA. We stand out as the only organization currently equipped to meet these challenges head-on, thanks to our unique position as a trusted partner for both government and industry. 

Nooks isn’t just working towards this reality—we’ve already proven our capabilities. As the only company with existing government contracts to provide  classified spaces at all levels, we’ve set the standard for shared classified infrastructure capabilities. By combining state-of-the-art facilities with a commitment to security and compliance, we’re ready to continue leading the charge in supporting the goals of the NDAA.

If you’re interested in how Nooks can help your organization navigate classified infrastructure challenges, contact us today to learn more.