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
Podcast - The State of Contractor Cybersecurity with Katie Arrington
The Department of Defense (DoD) is revving its engines again—this time to rocket past its own software acquisition drag. Launched via an April 24 memo from Acting DoD CIO Katie Arrington, the DoD’s Software Fast Track (SWFT)...more
SWIFT to Launch May 1: DOD Fast Tracks Software Deployment Opening New Doors for Defense Contractors - In a decisive move to stay ahead in an era of rapidly evolving digital threats, the Department of Defense (DOD) is...more
In a decisive move to stay ahead in an era of rapidly evolving digital threats, the Department of Defense (DOD) is accelerating its push for software modernization. The upcoming launch of the Software Fast Track (SWIFT)...more
On March 6, 2025, the Defense Secretary released a memorandum directing the Department of Defense (“DoD”) to adopt the Software Acquisition Pathway (“SWP”) to speed up the development, procurement, and delivery of software...more
WHAT: Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum titled “Directing Modern Software Acquisition to Maximize Lethality” that is intended to reform DOD’s procurement involving software development....more
Federal contractors, including defense contractors, should prepare for the emergence of new requirements in the coming months that are designed to strengthen software supply chain security, impose more stringent cybersecurity...more
Citing the threats posed by foreign adversaries and criminal organizations, and seeking enhanced accountability for companies that provide software and cloud services to the federal government, the Biden administration has...more
After years of anticipation, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council has announced the arrival of its proposed rule to enhance the safeguarding of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in federal contracts (the...more
On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed the Source Code Harmonization and Reuse in Information Technology Act (“SHARE IT Act” or “the Act”), which provides a formal mechanism for federal agencies to store and share...more
To kick off the New Year (and as is now tradition, since we put out a similar Recap & Forecast last year), Sheppard Mullin’s Governmental Practice Cybersecurity & Data Protection Team has prepared a cybersecurity-focused 2024...more
The defense technology sector (“defense tech”) has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, with projections indicating continued expansion in the near future. This surge is largely driven by increased global defense...more
On November 15, 2024, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) issued a long-awaited Proposed Rule to implement Section 1655 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. Section 1655 prohibits DoD from...more
Part of the Biden Administration’s push to enhance U.S. cybersecurity capabilities has focused on imposing new requirements on government contractors. The 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy suggested, for example, that...more
WHAT: The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) issued a proposed rule to implement Section 1655(a) and (c) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232). The proposed rule would...more
Defense contractors and subcontractors that handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and do not have robust information-security system controls in place better get their house in order now if they want to do business...more
When the U.S. Government licenses commercial software, it generally does so under the same terms as any other commercial software licensee, unless the terms of that license are inconsistent with federal law or do not...more
The United States Department of Defense’s (DoD) supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (DFARS) requires the DoD to adopt a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA), which is a technical and business strategy for open and...more
The United States Department of Defense (“DoD”) recently published its Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Strategy 2024. For context, the DIB is comprised of more than 100,000 domestic and foreign companies or...more
To kick off the New Year, Sheppard Mullin’s Governmental Practice Cybersecurity & Data Protection Team has prepared a cybersecurity-focused 2023 Recap (including links to all of the resources the team has put out over the...more
Good Afternoon! This is Akin’s biweekly policy newsletter on space policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major space headlines and forthcoming space-related events and hearings...more
On December 14, 2023, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA), following the Senate’s passage a few days earlier. The President is expected to sign the NDAA into...more
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims (COFC) recently unsealed its decision on damages for copyright infringement by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) in 4DD Holdings, Inc. v. United States (Case No. 15-945C). The Court awarded...more
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed a new statute that will significantly impact medical device cybersecurity regulation. Section 3305 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (“Section 3305”) authorizes the...more
While the DoD charts a path forward on CMMC, the USG is emphasizing the need to comply with existing cyber obligations in government contracts and taking steps to enforce compliance with those obligations. The June 16 Memo...more