House NDAA draft mandates database of contractors used in covert operations

The House of Representatives draft version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill would require the Pentagon to create and maintain a database of all commercial vendors involved in clandestine military operations, a move aimed at tightening oversight and reducing counterintelligence risks across the U.S. defense ecosystem.

A draft outline from the House Armed Services Committee’s intelligence and special operations panel lists the measure as part of the sweeping FY26 National Defense Authorization Act. The massive defense package is in the early stages of undergoing markups, and congressional appropriators have not yet assigned it a spending value. It will also need to be reconciled with a separate draft in the Senate.

The current bill text would require the Defense Department to “establish, maintain, and continuously update a database for vendors supporting clandestine activities to facilitate deconfliction and risk assessment,” known as the “Clandestine Activities Vendor Database,” the draft text says.

Read more at NextGov/FCW