The Rise of OTAs in Defense Contracting: Opportunities, Risks, and What Contractors Need to Know
Podcast - Navigating the Updated SF-328 Form
Podcast - A Comparative Guide to Obtaining an FCL: DCSA vs. the Intelligence Community
Diversifying Your Contract Pipeline by Maximizing Opportunities through the DOD’s Mentor Protégé Program
A Comprehensive Overview of FOCI Mitigation
Podcast - Defense Dynamics: Navigating the Post-Election Landscape for the National Security Sector, Part 2
Mitigating FOCI Under Section 847
Episode 345 -- Raytheon Pays $950 Million to Resolve Fraud, FCPA, ITAR and False Claims Act Violations
Everyone Come to Play: Exploring FOCI Mitigation Instruments
Defense Dynamics: Navigating the Post-Election Landscape for the National Security Sector
Podcast - Navigating M&A Due Diligence: Safeguarding Security Clearances
Podcast - Change Condition Packages: Tips for Cleared Contractors
Podcast - Corporate Documents in the Context of Clearances
Navigating Personnel Security Clearances (PCLs)
Cybersecurity Insights: Updates on CMMC Implementation and CUI Identification
What Is an FCL and How Do I Obtain One?
Protecting Our Nation’s Data: Cybersecurity Compliance for Government Contractors
Intellectual Property In Department of Defense Contracting
The When, Where, Why and How of CMMC with Fernando Machado
It comes as no surprise China has been a major focus point of the second Trump administration. One of the key reasons for this focus is the increasing national security concerns over technology. In particular, the smuggling...more
On July 23, 2025, President Trump released his Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan, with the aim of ushering in an era of American dominance in the rapidly emerging technology. The AI Action Plan delivers on a promise...more
The White House recently unveiled “America’s AI Action Plan,” a comprehensive strategy designed to secure United States leadership in the global artificial intelligence race. The plan is built on three foundational pillars:...more
On May 13, 2025, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced that the Commerce Department initiated a rescission of the Biden Administration’s Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion (“AI...more
On December 18, 2024, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA), which the House of Representatives passed the previous week. President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law...more
To help you stay on top of the latest news, our AI practice group has compiled a roundup of the developments we are following....more
The Commerce Department issued new guidance for financial institutions on best practices for compliance with the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Available here, the guidance emphasizes enhanced due diligence, ongoing...more
Prepare to (Semi)Conduct Your Due Diligence! Proposed Rule to Prohibit Certain Semiconductor Products and Services - Whether you’re aware or not, semiconductors are part of a vast variety of electronics. Semiconductors...more
Against the backdrop of increasing international competition in the artificial intelligence (AI) space, the Enhancing National Frameworks for Overseas Critical Exports Act (the ENFORCE Act) was recently introduced in the U.S....more
On May 3, the Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) that would prohibit executive...more
In 2023 and the early months of 2024, there has been a flurry of agency activity to implement key programs enacted under the CHIPS and Science Act—directing benefits to the semiconductor industry. From December 1, 2023, to...more
On December 14, 2023, Congress passed an $874.2-billion defense authorization bill, sending it to the White House for President Biden’s signature. This alert provides a summary of key provisions of the National Defense...more
Welcome to the November edition of Akin Intelligence. Looking back, October 2023 may be remembered as the month when the U.S. government tried to assume the mantle of global leadership on responsible artificial intelligence...more
The Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) has garnered criticism from the European Union (“EU”) due in large part to its domestic sourcing requirements. Some in Canada have echoed this criticism, including Michael Harvey, vice...more
The CHIPS R&D Office is advancing innovation and creating opportunities across industry. $11 billion has been appropriated to the CHIPS Research and Development Office to advance research and development of semiconductor...more
The CHIPS Act, or Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, is a signature piece of legislation that was signed into law in the United States in August 2022 to provide funding in support of the...more
Chinese semiconductors are ubiquitous within the United States and its private- and public-sector supply chains. To contend with the attendant national security and economic risks (whether real or perceived), Congress...more
Amid the 4,000 pages of provisions in the recently enacted Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) are prohibitions and associated requirements relating to the federal procurement of certain Chinese...more
Inflation relief for defense contractors, a ban on procurement of products and services containing certain Chinese semiconductors, and codification of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) governing...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
After months of negotiations, Congress revealed the compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (NDAA) on December 6, 2022. The bill, viewed as a “must-pass” piece of legislation because...more
On October 28, 2022, on the eve of the mid-term elections, a bill was introduced in the House that, unless you are an export control/compliance nerd, most would not have given it any thought. This bill, H.R. 9241, called the...more
Fiscal Year 2023 started on October 1 and, without a final set of Department of Defense (DoD) authorizations and appropriations, the DoD currently is operating under continuing resolution. A version of the National Defense...more
Unless you’ve been living on a lost island in the South Pacific, you are no doubt aware of the shortage of semiconductors. The shortage and supply chain issues have been highlighted in media reports that feature video images...more
1. Chip Producer ‘Is Informed’ of New License Requirement via BIS Letter According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing by NVIDIA, the largest producer of graphics processing units (GPUs), Commerce’s Bureau of...more