Defense Tech Legal Network Newsletter 7

March 2, 2026

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News

• SBIR Settled and Reconciliation Revealed While AI/Anthropic and Iran Wars Heating Up, Defense Tech and Acquisition, Matt MacGregor and Pete Modigliani, Feb. 28, 2026. News headlines and summaries from the week; nonlegal focused.

• CENTCOM Uses Shaheed-like Drones in Operation Epic Fury. The Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) is a reverse-engineered copy of Iran’s Shahed-136 one-way attack UAS. Post on X notes that it appears to use Starlink/Starshield for communications. 

• 4 Key Takeaways from Supreme Court’s Ruling in GEO Group, Inc. v. Menocal et al, Matthew Thrasher, Ian Button, Fluet Law. The Supreme Court ruled on February 25, 2026, in GEO Group Inc. v. Menocal et al. that a private contractor operating an ICE detention facility cannot claim derivative sovereign immunity to dismiss detainee lawsuits alleging forced labor and unjust enrichment at the pretrial stage. The Court held that sovereign immunity belongs exclusively to the government and does not extend to contractors, while clarifying that the Yearsley doctrine provides only a potential merits defense rather than true immunity from suit, so denials are not immediately appealable. This outcome is expected to embolden plaintiffs to file more suits against government contractors and prolong litigation, as contractors lose the ability to secure early appeals on immunity grounds.

•  President and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the Department of War’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk. Anthropic had sought exceptions to the use of its model, Claude for mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. The announcement also included restricting Anthropic’s model use in military applications and barring all DoW contractors, suppliers, or partners from any commercial activity with Anthropic. No other guidance was issued, but the phase out is expected to be six-months. Reports that U.S. Central Command still used Claude for intelligence assessments, target identification, and battle simulations in strikes on Iran just hours after the ban, per Wall Street Journal. Numerous responses followed including by Anthropic ‘s CEO Dario Amodei here. 

• Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, announced that OpenAI had reached an agreement with DoW, and, the same day, held an AMA on X. OpenAI head of national security partnerships announced on Linkedin that OpenAI published an article on its agreement with the DoW including the relevant contract language. Palmer Luckey, CEO of Anduril, commented on X supporting DoW’s policy to include in AI contracts that use would only be restricted to “all lawful purposes.” Anthropic’s response to the designation re-emphasized its positions on mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. Anthropic provided that it would fight any designation as a supply chain risk in court. Anthropic also cited 10 U.S.C. § 3252 as the supply chain risk authority and stated that actions by DoW “can only extend to the use of Claude as part of Department of War contracts—it cannot affect how contractors use Claude to serve other customers.” More guidance and analysis from the community is sure to follow. 

• GSA is retiring the public search functions of FPDS.gov. It will consolidate contract award search in SAM.gov. Now users may access contract award data directly through SAM.gov. Moreover, the SAM.gov Contract Awards API replaces the FPDS.gov ATOM feed has been replaced which will be retired on July 31, 2026.  Link to API technical specifications are at. More information on this transition here. 

• Pentagon’s counter-drone task force launches commercial solutions opening, February 27, 2026, Jon Harper, DefenseScoop.

• DOD wants AI-enabled coding tools for ‘tens of thousands’ of users in its developer workforce,  February 26, 2026, Brandi Vincent, DefenseScoop.

Social Media and Podcasts

• Crossing the Valley Podcast, Feb. 25, 2026. Saronic CEO and co-founder Dino Mavrookas discusses scaling autonomous vessel production for the U.S. Navy.

• GSA’s New CUI Cybersecurity Certification Process Walks Softly but Carries a Big Stick, Feb. 25, 2026, Ashley Powers, and Elissa Harwood, Miller & Chevalier.

• FPDS.gov Migration to SAM Introductions and Instructions – CMMC Academy, Mar. 1, 2026, CMMC Academy Podcast. Note: this is an AI, NotebookLM, generated podcast.

• News site dashboard with active social media and traditional media monitoring of Operation Epic Fury here.

• Linkedin post: March 2, 2026, at 3:30 PM (est) on YouTube, the Missile Defense Association of America is hosting a congressional roundtable virtual, The Missile Defense of the North American Continent — A Golden Opportunity. Register here.

• NASA releases a long-awaited report on Boeing’s Starliner; Starlab clears a major milestone; and the growing market for space robotics,Space Commerce Week, Substack, March 01, 2026, Tom Patton.

• Warfare-as-a-Service, Industrial Base Alpha, Substack, Matthew Bernard, Feb 26, 2026. An analysis of Vector Defense its strategy to tap into the $341 Billion of Defense Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding. 

• Robotics Roundup #26: February 2026 Billions for autonomous driving, and more, F-Prime Capital, Substack, Mar. 1, 2026. List of recent robotics VC deals.

• Post on X discussing a new paper analyzing the privacy policies of the major AI model providers. Link to paper.

• What Rights Do AI Companies Have in Government Contracts?, Jessica Tillipman, Dean and Professor of Government Procurement, George Washington University Law School.

Open Defense Tech Legal Jobs

* Indicates new additions since last newsletter.

• Job Application for Associate General Counsel, Product,Neros Technologies, El Segundo, CA (Small UAS)*
• Contracts Specialist, CX2, El Segundo, CA (Electromagnetic Spectrum hardware/software)*  
• Director of Contracts, Inversion, Playa Vista, CA (Space)*
• Senior Contract Specialist – Legal, Otto Aerospace, Washington, D.C. (Aerospace)
• Senior Counsel – Business Operations (National Aerospace Systems), Peraton, Reston, VA (IT and Cybersecurity)
• Regulatory and Export Compliance Attorney, True Anomaly, Denver, CO, Long Beach, CA, or Remote (Space)
• Corporate Paralegal, True Anomaly, Denver, CO, Long Beach, CA, or Remote (Space)
• Legal Counsel, Apex Technology, Inc., Los Angeles, CA (Space)
• Associate General Counsel, Government Contracts, Hadrian, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. (Advanced Manufacturing)
• Senior Counsel, Contracts, Hadrian, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. (Advanced Manufacturing)
• Compliance Counsel, Hadrian, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. (Advanced Manufacturing)
• Senior Counsel, Export Controls & Cybersecurity, Hadrian, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. (Advanced Manufacturing)
• Senior Corporate Counsel, Otto Aerospace, Washington, D.C. (Aerospace)
• Sr. Global Trade Analyst, SpaceX, Hawthorne, CA (Space)
• Sr. Global Trade Analyst, SpaceX, Washington, D.C. (Space)
• U,S. Privacy Counsel, Palantir, Washington, D.C. (AI, Intel, C2, and Data)
• Senior Legal Program Manager, IonQ, Bothell, Washington, United States; College Park, Maryland, United States; Remote, US (Quantum, Space)*
• Legal Counsel, Public Sector, Databricks, Washington, D.C. (Data and AI)
• Associate General Counsel, Persistent Systems, New York, NY (Radio networks)
• Corporate Counsel, Echodyne, Remote (Radar)
• Paralegal, Saronic, Austin, TX (Maritime Autonomy)
• Legal Operations Engineer, Hadrian, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. (Advanced Manufacturing)
• Corporate Counsel, Ursa Major, Berthoud, CO (Space, hypersonics)
• Senior Corporate Counsel, Rocket Lab Corporation, Long Beach, CA (Space)
• Legal Operations Associate, Forterra, Clarksburg, MD (Ground Autonomy)
• Counsel – Supply Chain, Forterra, Arlington, VA (Ground Autonomy)
• Senior Corporate Counsel – Aerospace & Defense, Microchip, Inc., Chandler, AZ (Semiconductors)
• Compliance Counsel, Saronic, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA, Washington, D.C. Multiple legal positions across legal ops/paralegal/etc. (Maritime Autonomy)
• Associate General Counsel, MP Materials, Las Vegas, NV (Rare earths)
• Legal and Compliance Analyst, Global Trade Compliance, Washington, D.C. and Hawthorne, CA, SpaceX (Space)
• M&A Corporate Counsel, Anduril Industries, Costas Mesa, CA (Unmanned systems and AI)
• Product Counsel, Nominal, Washington, D.C. (Engineering and testing platform)
• Legal Counsel – Contracts, Palantir Technologies, Washington, D.C. (Software/AI)
• Assistant General Counsel, K2 Space, Los Angeles, CA (Space)
• Senior Counsel, Government Business, Beehive Industries, Knoxville, TN (also roles in Loveland, OH and Englewood, CO) (Advanced manufacturing)
• Paralegal, Beehive Industries, Loveland, OH (Advanced manufacturing)
• Commercial Counsel, Government Contracts, xAi, Washington, D.C. (AI)
• Senior Director and AGC, Product Legal (Privacy, IP, Employment), Scale AI, San Francisco, CA (AI)
• Lead Counsel, Product and Employment, Scale AI, San Francisco, CA (AI)

Professional Development and CLE of Interest

Legal and non-legal professional development. Some events have a registration fee. The list will be updated with new events.

Government Contracts & Acquisition

• The Pivot to Commercial Contracting: What Does It Mean for Cost and Pricing in Federal Procurement?, March 3, 2026, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET, Webinar. Venable and HKA.

• Government Contracts in M&A: Navigating Compliance and Risk – Events, March 10, 2026, Webinar. Morgan Lewis. Includes overview on M&A compliance obligations, national security considerations, False Claims Act risks, and restrictions on assignment or change of control.

• ABA 2026 Federal Procurement Institute, March 11-13, 2026, Annapolis, MD. ABA Public Contract Law Section’s flagship event with CLE sessions on federal procurement trends relevant to defense tech.

• NCMA Warfighter Acquisition Forum, April 23, 2026, Washington, D.C. One-day forum for defense acquisition pros; discussions on strategies and policies.

• Hilton Head Government Contracts Week, July 27-31, 2026, Hilton Head, SC. FPS conference with masters-level sessions on govcon law; CLE available.

M&A, CFIUS, FOCI, & Trade Regulation

• M&A Academy: CFIUS & Trade Regulation Considerations in M&A Transactions, February 24, Webinar, Morgan Lewis. Presentation on CFIUS due diligence, risk assessment, national security issues, and trade regs in M&A—tailored for defense/govcon deals; part of ongoing academy series with CLE potential.

• Private Capital, Defense, and National Security: Investing at the Intersection, February 24, Webinar, Webinar and in-person, New York, NY, Goodwin.

• 12th National Conference on CFIUS, April 22-23, Washington, D.C. ACI conference with discussions on CFIUS including filing requirements, risk mitigation strategies, and new regulations.

• 9th National Forum on FOCI, September 29–30, Washington, D.C. ACI. Focuses on Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence mitigation (parallel to CFIUS in cleared defense contractors); compliance strategies for national security reviews in defense M&A.

• Advanced Venture Capital 2026 | October 27, 2026 | In-Person Program – PLI, October 27, 2026, San Francisco, CA. PLI.

Export Controls

• Global Export Controls Advanced Forum, February 24-25, 2026, Arlington, VA. American Conference Institute (ACI) conference on multi-jurisdictional export compliance, including deemed exports and sanctions. Offers CLE credits and networking for defense industry attorneys.

• Live Export Compliance Seminar, June 15-18, Chicago, IL. Enforcement-focused ITAR/EAR.

Intellectual Property (IP)

• 2026 AIPLA Spring Meeting, May 13-15, Fairmont San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. 2.5-day conference on trending IP topics, expert insights, networking; focuses on innovation/tech IP relevant to defense sectors.

Space

• ABA 2026 Washington Update Conference, March 6, 2026, The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.

Industry & Entrepreneurship

• STATION DC Hypersonics Meetup · Luma, March 3, Station DC.* 

• Defense & Dual-Use Coffee Club Defense & Dual-use Coffee Club, March 11, San Francisco, CA*

• PARC Forum: The Future of Defense Technology, March 26, Palo Alto, CA.*

• Alignment Summit, April 29, Santa Clara. Deep tech connections.*

• Defense TechConnect Innovation Summit & Expo, Sep. 22-24, 2026, National Harbor, Maryland.

Pro Bono and Volunteer Opportunities

• Volunteer as a judge for this year’s North American Round of the IISL Manfred Lachs Space Law moot court competition. More information about this great event is on the website.

Contact Defense Tech Legal Network.

Defense Tech Legal Network Est. January 2026

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