Defense Tech Legal Network Newsletter 10

March 23, 2026

Our goal is to build the community of defense tech legal professionals. The newsletter aims to further your professional development and raise awareness of good content and opportunities.

This newsletter should be useful. Please provide feedback so we can make it better.

Subscribe to the newsletter here. (Google Forms).

We are looking for podcast guests. Please email ideas and recommendations here.

News

• SBIR’s Back and New PAEs, Defense Tech and Acquisition, Matt MacGregor and Pete Modigliani, Feb. 28, 2026. News headlines and summaries from the week; nonlegal focused.

• House passes 5-year SBIR/STTR reauthorization to fund small business tech programs, Fedscoop, March 17, 2026. SBIR and STTR Reauthorization and the Future of Small Business Innovation, Jerry McGinn, Alek Jovovic, and A.J. Dilts, March 17, 2026. (House Press Release). Link to bill. The bill is expected to be signed by the President; however, the bill could be delayed due to the pending debate/disputes over the SAVE America Act. Here are the main revisions in the reauthorization:

• Strategic Breakthrough Phase II Awards. Large agencies can now award up to $30M over 4 years (1:1 private match required) for rapid transition of critical technologies.
• Stronger National Security Screening. Mandatory reviews bar awards to firms with foreign/adversary ties, watch-list links, or security risks. 
• Mandatory Proposal Caps. Starting FY2027, every agency must limit proposals per company which aims to limit proposals from  “SBIR mills” and boost competition.

• Cheap drones are reshaping the war in the sky, Reuters, March 17, 2026. Article describes traditional air power, small and large unmanned aerial systems (UAS)/drones, and counter UAS interceptors with infographics.

• Anthropic v. DoW. A hearing on Anthropic’s motion for preliminary injunction is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in San Francisco federal district court (Northern District of California). Granting of the preliminary injunction could pause enforcement of the designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk pending full litigation. Parallel proceedings continue in the D.C. Circuit under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act. See latest article from Wired.

• Trump admin unveils national AI policy framework to limit state power, CNBC, March 20, 2026. Link to framework. Administration wants uniform safety and security guardrails for AI while preempting states from enacting their own AI law and regulations. Framework is a starting point for eventual legislation sometime in the next several months.

• Supply Chain Strain, Part 450 Update, and the Orbital Optical Gap, Space Commerce Week, March 22, 2026. 

• Navy program turns ships into continuous data pipelines for AI development, DefenseScoop, Mikayla Easley, March 19, 2026. Applied Intuition delivered its first Data Edge Collection Kit (DECK) to the Navy. DECK helps to rapidly collect and process raw data at high speeds which enables the data pipeline to automatically and rapidly update software and software-defined systems.

• Inside a ‘first of its kind’ counter-drone laser test in the American desert | DefenseScoop, Drew F. Lawrence, March 16, 2026. JIATF 401 and the FAA, along with several other Federal agencies, conducted a high-energy laser test of the Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) March 7-8.

Social Media and Podcasts

• Fareed Zacharia post on X with a video monologue from the Sunday GPS show discussing the new type of drone and AI war being waged in the middle-east right now.

• Ep 21 – Techquisition: SBIR Reauthorization Explained, Mission Matters Podcast, Maggie Gray. Discussion with Chris Benson, the CTO of Istari Digital and prior AFWERX acquisition expert.

• Linkedin post discussing INDOPACOM’s FY2026 Unfunded Priority List which included requests for $4.4 billion in unmanned systems and $48 million for AI decision support. Full analysis by Veteran Ventures Capital.

• In this X post, Elon Musk announces TERAFAB. The presentation confirmed joint efforts between Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI to build the world’s largest chip fab in Austin, TX.  Terafab will produce chips for Optimus robots and space datacenters, addressing global semiconductor shortages projected to last through 2030. TERAFAB enables cheaper AI deployment off-planet within 2-3 years.

• CMMC Supplier Questions Answered: Level 1 vs Level 2, Cost, Scope, and flowdowns to DoW contractors, CMMC Compliance Guide Podcast.

• Manfred-Lachs International Space Law Moot Court (North America) takes place this week March 26-27 in Washington, D.C. The Space Court Foundation also promoted on Linkedin its new release of Space Court Foundation Student Space Law Journal March 2026 Issue 2. Last week, the American Space Law Foundation held its inaugural moot court focusing on U.S. domestic space law (see Linkedin post discussing the event).

• How to prepare for the next decade, Scott Barker, Substack. Discussing how to approach a period of rapid acceleration in technology.

Open Defense Tech Legal Jobs

* Indicates new additions since last newsletter.

• Director, Trade Compliance, Blue Origin, Greater Seattle Area, Space Coast, FL (Space)*
• Deal Operations Administrator, Palantir Technologies, New York, NY (AI, Decision and Intel Systems)*
• Legal Counsel, Palantir Technologies, Washington, D.C. (AI, Decision and Intel Systems)*
• Legal and Compliance Analyst, Privacy and Security, SpaceX, Hawthorne, CA, Washington, D.C., Bastrop, TX (Space)*
• Legal Counsel, Air Defense & Counter Intrusion, Anduril Industries, Washington, D.C., Costa Mesa, CA (Autonomous Systems and AI)*
• Senior Counsel, ispace inc., Englewood, CO (Space)*
• Associate General Counsel, Commercial, Neros Technologies, El Segundo, CA (Small UAS)*
• Senior Counsel – Intellectual Property, IonQ, Bothell, Washington, Remote (Quantum)*
• General Counsel, CoAspire, Fairfax, VA (Advanced Weapon Systems)*
• Corporate Counsel, Velo3D, Fremont CA (3d Printing, Additive Manufacturing)*
• Legal Administrator/Contracts Compliance, Planet, Arlington, VA (Satellite Imaging)
• Sr. Counsel, Commercial & Product, Archer, San Jose, CA (EVOTL)
• Sr. Counsel, Intellectual Property, Archer, San Jose, CA (EVOTL)
• Associate General Counsel – Space & Defense Group, Moog, Buffalo, NY (cUAS, motion controls)
• Commercial Counsel, Public Sector, Peregrine Technologies, Washington, D.C. (Public Safety and Intel AI)
• Lead Counsel – Public Sector, Datadog, Remote (Cloud monitoring and Security)
• Government Contracts Manager, Mach Industries, Huntington Beach, CA and Washington, D.C. (Autonomous Systems)
• Legal Counsel, Scout AI, Sunnyvale, CA (Robotics and AI)
• Head of Strategic Contracts and M&A, Public Sector, NVIDIA, Richmond, VA (AI and Semiconductors)
• Legal Counsel-Commercial, FieldAI, Irvine, CA (Robotics and AI)
• General Counsel, Ursa Major, Berthoud, Colorado (Space, Hypersonics)
• Head of Compliance, Shift5, Remote (Operational technology, cybersecurity)
• Head of Safety Compliance, Boston Dynamics, Waltham, MA (Robotics)
• Director, Corporate Attorney, Vantor, Herndon, VA (Geoint)
• Associate General Counsel, Product, Neros Technologies, El Segundo, CA (Small UAS)
• 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)
• Associate General Counsel, Government Contracts, Hadrian, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. (Advanced Manufacturing)
• Associate General Counsel – Labor and Employment, 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)
• 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)*
• Senior 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)
• 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)
• Associate General Counsel, MP Materials, Las Vegas, NV (Rare earths)
• Assistant General Counsel, K2 Space, Los Angeles, CA (Space)

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

• 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

• 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 Control

• 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

• SATELLITE 2026 / GovMilSpace, March 23–26, 2026, Washington, DC. This is a major satellite and space industry conference that convenes commercial, defense, and government participants; its GovMilSpace programming is geared toward engagement with military and government decision-makers on mission and security issues, making it especially relevant to professionals working at the intersection of space, national security, and regulation.*  

• 41st Space Symposium, April 13–16, 2026, Colorado Springs, Colorado. This is a premier space-sector gathering with a dedicated Space Law and Regulation Track focused on current legal and regulatory issues affecting commercial space activity, along with broader access to senior government, industry, and policy stakeholders across the space ecosystem.*  

• Nebraska Law Annual Space Law Fall Conference, September 24, 2026, Washington, D.C.

Industry & Entrepreneurship

• PARC Forum: The Future of Defense Technology, March 26, Palo Alto, CA.
• Technology & National Security Conference 2026, Apr 3-4, Cambridge MA (MIT)*
• 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

More coming soon. 

Contact Defense Tech Legal Network.

Defense Tech Legal Network Est. January 2026

Copyright – Defense Tech Legal Network 2026 – All Rights Reserved