Security clearance processing takes 12-18 months, so defense startups cannot hire fast enough to deliver

A defense startup that wins a classified contract needs cleared engineers immediately, but new clearance applications take 12-18 months (Secret) to 24+ months (TS/SCI) to process through DCSA's backlog of 200,000+ pending investigations. The startup must either hire pre-cleared engineers (who command 30-50% salary premiums) or start uncleared engineers on unclassified work while waiting, reducing the team's productivity on the actual contract. This persists because DCSA's investigation capacity has not scaled with the explosion of defense tech startups since 2018, clearance reciprocity between agencies is inconsistent, and the continuous vetting (CV) program that should have replaced periodic reinvestigation is still rolling out years behind schedule.