In the 22nd episode of "Are We All Clear? Facilitating Security Clearances," host Marina O'Brien is joined by Washington, D.C., International Trade attorney Andrew McAllister to help break down the Defense Counterintelligence...more
7/8/2025
/ CFIUS ,
Defense Sector ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Contractors ,
FOCI ,
Foreign Ownership ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
New Regulations ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Security Clearance
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) published a press release on May 9, 2025, announcing an updated Standard Form 328 (SF-328), Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interest. The updated form was approved...more
6/25/2025
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Defense Contracts ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Contractors ,
FOCI ,
Foreign Affiliates ,
Foreign Ownership ,
Government Agencies ,
National Security ,
Press Releases ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Required Forms ,
Risk Management
In this episode of "Are We All Clear? Facilitating Security Clearances," host Molly O'Casey speaks with Washington, D.C., International Trade attorney Andrew McAllister about joint ventures and how they interact with facility...more
3/25/2025
/ Clearance ,
Due Diligence ,
Federal Contractors ,
FOCI ,
Foreign Investment ,
Government Agencies ,
International Trade ,
Joint Venture ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Security Clearance
In the 12th episode of "Are We All Clear? Facilitating Security Clearances," host Molly O'Casey and International Trade attorney Andrew McAllister provide insights on foreign influence, ownership or control (FOCI) mitigation...more
11/5/2024
/ Cross-Border ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Electronic Communications ,
Federal Contractors ,
FOCI ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Ownership ,
National Security ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Security Agreements ,
Security Clearance
The 10th episode of "Are We All Clear? Facilitating Security Clearances" explores the mitigation of foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) in a cleared company. Host Molly O'Casey and International Trade attorney...more
The eighth episode of "Are We All Clear? Facilitating Security Clearances" offers an in-depth summary of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). Host Molly O'Casey and International Trade attorney Andrew...more
In the second episode of "Are We All Clear? Facilitating Security Clearances," host Molly O'Casey delves into personnel security clearances (PCLs) with National Security, Defense, and Intelligence attorneys Andrew McAllister...more
Facility security clearance (FCL) sponsorship packages for U.S. government contractors currently have a rejection rate of more than 50 percent. For initial and upgrade FCL packages, there is a 70 percent rejection rate. These...more
President Joe Biden signed into law the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (2023 NDAA or Defense Bill) on Dec. 23, 2022. The Defense Bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on...more
12/27/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Compliance ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Due Diligence ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Iran ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
North Korea ,
Popular ,
Prime Contractor ,
Russia ,
Safe Harbors ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Waivers
The Department of Defense's (DoD) Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)1 hosted its 26th Annual Conference on Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI Conference) on Aug. 25, 2022, which was attended by...more
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which included the Build America, Buy America Act (the Act), was signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021, and created a deadline of May 14, 2022, for federal agencies to ensure...more
4/25/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Build America Investment Initiative ,
Buy America ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
New Guidance ,
New Legislation ,
Public Procurement Policies ,
Public Projects ,
Waivers
The U.S. Department of Defense, General Services Administration and NASA, on March 7, 2022, published a final rule revising the Buy American Act (BAA) requirements applicable to federal procurements. The final rule is the...more
President Joe Biden has signed an Executive Order (EO) on America's Supply Chains, mandating a 100-day review of the global supply chains used by key industries in an effort to avoid the shortages in medical equipment,...more
3/3/2021
/ Administrative Authority ,
Batteries ,
Biden Administration ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defense Production Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
FEMA ,
Medical Equipment ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Vaccinations